Work Crew Concerned About Asbestos Exposure
Just two years ago, nearly 30 years after the U.S. government posted extensive warnings about the dangers of asbestos exposure, a Colorado building owner hired 15 men to demolish numerous units in an apartment building, totally aware that the apartments contained asbestos.
According to an article posted on Lawyers and Settlements, the crew responsible for ripping out floors and drywall at the Highline Terrace Apartments in Denver were given no respirators or other protective gear, despite the fact that the company they worked for was fully away of the presence of asbestos, a hazardous mineral known to cause mesothelioma and other asbestos cancers.
“About five months into the job, Denver city and Colorado state health officials found asbestos in the building,” says Justin S., a member of the demolition crew. “The state told management to evacuate all residents within 24 hours; they didn’t even let them take their clothes or furniture because it was all contaminated.”
“They closed down the entire apartment complex and when it was tested, most of the materials we ripped out had 25 percent asbestos ratings - which is really high. There was even asbestos found in the soil.”
“We were never issued safety gear or masks, nothing at all. Our 15-man crew was exposed to asbestos daily. We were eating it for breakfast every single day without knowing it. Some of the crew had been working there months before I even started. We had no idea,” Justin notes, adamantly.
“Once it was closed down, the company that hired me–Commercial Services Building Incorporated (CSBI )– sent us to asbestos classes. I guess they did this gesture to reduce their fines,” he adds.
“Once we got done with those classes, I knew a lot about asbestos. The only reason that CSBI didn’t tell anyone was because it was a lot cheaper to act like asbestos wasn’t there. They are a huge corporation and they didn’t care in 2006. But they care now that they got caught. I quit working for them last November. We were never offered any compensation. Apparently the only ones who knew about asbestos were upper management and the property owners…”
Justin says that the state ordered CSBI to provide physical exams for the 15-member work crew at least once a year to check for asbestos-related diseases. The exams have yet to be provided, he notes.
Though the apartment building reopened in mid-2007, more than 120 residents are involved in an asbestos-related lawsuit against CSBI. The work crew is considering a similar suit.