ASBESTOS REMOVAL WORKER
Carelessness at a Buffalo, N.Y., job site exposed asbestos removal workers to serious health risks

OSHA cited the defendant contractor for 11 separate asbestos removal violations, which it deemed both intentional and willful. Asbestos abatement workers had not been given any training, nor protective equipment to handle the toxic construction material. These oversights resulted in violations and hefty fines for the Buffalo, NY-area contractor.

Feature news story

December 22, 2009 - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined a contractor $484,000 for asbestos-related violations made during renovation work at a warehouse in downtown Buffalo, N.Y.

The contractor, Cambria Contracting, Inc. of Lockport, N.Y., was renovating the former AM & A warehouse in preparation to make it a multi-use facility.

But OSHA found that Cambria had failed to notify the workers that asbestos was even present at the site.

“Asbestos is well recognized as a health hazard since inhalation of asbestos fibers may lead to lung cancer and other diseases,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA's Buffalo area director, in connection to the asbestos removal violations.

Under OSHA regulations, Cambria Contracting has 15 days to pay the fine or to contest it. Violations of federal asbestos removal laws are dealt with heavily by the government.

Asbestos linked to mesothelioma

Asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma, the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers. Mesothelioma is primarily an occupational disease, and often contracted through employers’ preference for quick profits over the expense of maintaining workplace health safety for employees.

The disease typically lies dormant for up to 50 years, at which point mesothelioma symptoms like shortness of breath, persistent coughing and fluid buildup may appear. Most patients die within one year of being diagnosed.

Time to seek justice

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

The firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.