ASBESTOS REGULATIONS
Massachusetts roofer fined for asbestos handling

December 11, 2008 -- A roofing company in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts is being asked to pay $46,412.50 to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for violating state regulations governing the handling of asbestos.

The alleged violations occurred during the removal of asbestos-containing Transite roofing materials from a residential property in Worcester. Numerous pieces of shattered asbestos Transite shingles were observed dry and uncontained on the ground, and in inappropriately designed containers at the property.

DEP said in a press release yesterday that upon discovery of the violations, the company was required to hire a licensed asbestos contractor from the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety to properly handle, package and dispose of all the asbestos-containing waste materials and decontaminate the property.

DEP regulations require asbestos-containing Transite materials to be removed wet, in a manner that minimizes breakage, and then carefully lowered to the ground. The regulations also mandate that the asbestos waste be sealed, while wet, into leak-tight containers that have the appropriate asbestos warning labels affixed to them.

During an inspection of the property in October 2006, DEP workers found that the asbestos-containing materials had been removed without prior notification to the DEP, and without the contractor following the required handling, packaging and disposal procedures.

The contractor who was fined is appealing the charges, asserting he was just hired to shingle the roof after another party removed all the shingles.

Asbestos, the silent killer

Despite the serious health problems associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice!

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.

If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.