Thorton, California Man Indicted in Asbestos Worker Training Fraud Case

Owner of Thorton, California safety training company charged with submitting fraudulent documentation for workers allegedly trained to remove asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis many years after exposure to the dangerous mineral.

On October 21, 2009, the owner of an environmental safety training company was indicted by a San Francisco grand jury for mail fraud and falsifying documents in connection with his role in offering and conducting asbestos removal and remediation training classes.

California Regulations for Asbestos Certification
The state of California requires that those who work in the asbestos remediation and removal industry be certified. The certification process includes:

Attending a four-day training course, with each day’s training lasting eight hours;

Complete a minimum of 14 hours of hands-on training; and

Pass a written examination.

In order to remain certified by the state to work on asbestos abatement and remediation jobs, workers must complete an 8-hour recertification class each year.

The Companies that conduct these training classes must also comply with a number of state requirements, including the submission of documentation confirming whether an individual has successfully completed the training course and passed the written test.

State Investigation of the Company
The investigation leading to the man’s arrest and eventual grand jury indictment stemmed from a July 2008 ad placed by the company advertising classes to train workers to be certified to work in the asbestos removal and remediation industry. The company was also offering recertification classes.

A number of individuals registered for both programs, and paid anywhere from $200 for the recertification classes to $600 for the initial training class.

However, the state discovered that instead of conducting the required 8 hour training classes each day, the company allegedly held classes as brief as 25 minutes. The man allegedly provided program attendees with the answers to the written exam and completed an exam for a worker unable to be present the day the exam was given.

The man is also charged with submitting false documentation to the state in order for the essentially untrained workers to receive state certification.

Falsely Certified Workers and Others at Risk
Without proper training on the removal of asbestos materials (ACM) at a renovation or demolition site, workers can cause asbestos to be released into the air, putting all those in the area at risk to inhale dangerous asbestos fibers.

Because of the decades-long latency period (the time between exposure and when symptoms of an asbestos disease are diagnosed) these falsely certified workers, as well as others in the area where asbestos removal was taking place, may not show symptoms of disease for 30-40 years later.

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