Companies cited for not protecting workers
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two construction contractors doing asbestos removal work at the Brookville, NY, campus of C.W. Post College for alleged violations of the OSHA standards designed to protect workers from asbestos exposure. OSHA proposed penalties of $370,900 against Long Island University and the two contractors, Aramark Corp., of Madison, CT, and Image Construction of Maspeth, NY, for six alleged willful and 30 alleged serious violations of OSHA standards.
According to OSHA area director Anthony DeSiervi, the action results from an investigation conducted from July 14, 1999 to Jan. 14, 2000, at the C.W. Post College in Brookville, following an employee complaint that workers were being exposed to asbestos while removing thermal system insulation pipes.
OSHA alleges that Long Island University willfully violated OSHA’s asbestos standard by not performing proper monitoring to accurately determine the airborne concentrations of asbestos to which employees may have been exposed and not using proper engineering controls and work practices in all asbestos removal operations, regardless of exposure levels. OSHA further alleges that employees were not using respirators, and that employees working in or adjacent to areas containing asbestos were not notified of the presence, location, and quantity of such material at the work-site.
The four alleged willful violations carry a total proposed penalty of $220,000.
Long Island University was additionally cited for eight alleged serious violations carrying a total proposed penalty of $20,500, for not complying with provisions of the OSHA asbestos standard designed to protect employees working adjacent to Class III asbestos jobs, classified as repair and maintenance operations in which materials presumed to contain asbestos are likely to be disturbed.
"Exposure to asbestos can cause serious illness, including lung cancer," DeSiervi says. "Workers who are required to work in areas in which asbestos-containing material could be disturbed must be informed of the presence, quantity, and locations of the material. They must be properly trained to deal with the hazards associated with working with this substance, and the employer must take proper precautions to minimize employee exposure."
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