Asbestos News Roundup: 12.3.09

December 3rd, 2009. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Fines

Washington, DC: OSHA issued citations to Cambria Contracting Inc, at the end of November for 11 alleged willful violations of the agency’s construction asbestos standard for failing to train and protect its workers at a jobsite in Buffalo, NY. The Lockport, NY-based demolition contractor faces a total of $484,000 in proposed penalties.

In October, OSHA cited Superior General Contracting of Cheektowaga, NY, for 10 alleged serious violations of workplace health standards at a jobsite in Amherst, NY. The contractor faces a total of $50,000 in fines for not providing all required safeguards for its employees who the agency says were exposed to asbestos-containing pipe insulation during a residential remodeling job. 

Specifically, OSHA found that the company did not monitor to determine asbestos exposure levels, use wet methods to clean up debris, provide HEPA vacuum cleaners to collect debris and dust, ensure the prompt cleanup and disposal of debris in leak-tight containers, ensure appropriate respirator use, require the use of protective clothing, perform all work in a regulated area, provide employees with appropriate training, and ensure that the work was overseen by a competent person with the knowledge and authority to identify and abate hazards. (OSHA)

OSHA and Asbestos Exposure

OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which was created by government under the Occupational Safety and Health Act signed by President Richard M. Nixon on December 29, 1970. The role of OSHA is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths, and they are successful: as of August 2007, occupational deaths had been reduced by 62 percent and injuries had declined by 42 percent since the creation of the agency in 1971.  

OSHA has set limits on the amount of asbestos a person can be exposed to during an eight hour shift—it is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimetre (f/cc) of air. Short-term exposure must not exceed 1 f/cc averaged over 30 minutes. 

Asbestos Exports

Montreal, PQ: Health officials in the Canadian province of Quebec are joining ranks with others who are asking the Canadian government to end its support to the mining and use of asbestos. Quebec is home to the only operational asbestos mine in Canada, Thetford Mines, which currently employees about 300 people. Canada currently exports asbestos and/or asbestos products to the United States. (CBC.ca) 

Asbestos Hot Spots

Salinas, CA: A planned renovation of the Salinas courthouse may get scrapped because of rising costs. In 2005, the north wing of the complex was found to contain asbestos, which during demolition, was accidentally released, exposing a number of people to the asbestos fibers and possibly asbestos mesothelioma. Earlier in the fall of this year, a settlement  was reached with Nova Partners Inc, for an undisclosed amount to be paid to people who were exposed to asbestos during the renovation. (Mercury News)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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