New York Company Charged with Asbestos Violations

Blackstone Business Enterprise, Inc. in Jamestown, New York is facing a number of violations regarding the handling of asbestos-containing materials. The company may end up paying up to $273,000 in fines.

The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) claims Blackstone failed to provide the temporary workers with the proper equipment to protect them from asbestos exposure. They also did not provide workers with the training to abate asbestos and did not monitor the air for asbestos levels. The danger of exposure occurred when asbestos was removed from steam pipes that had been insulated with the carcinogen.

Exposure to asbestos can result in a number of diseases including asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, an often fatal form of cancer. Due to a lengthy latency period, asbestos related diseases can take as many as twenty to fifty years for symptoms to appear. At that time, the disease is often in the advanced stages and too late for any effective treatments.

Blackstone, a steel and sheet metal fabricating company, has been charged with 18 violations. Four were willful citations, those committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health, totaling $224,000 in fines. The other 14 violations will total $49,000 in fines and include citations for failing to properly clean and dispose of asbestos-containing material and clothing, as well as failing to label asbestos containing insulation and trash bags.

The company must respond to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within 15 business days. The options for dealing with the violations is, to pay the fines, request a meeting with the director of OSHA or the violations could be contested in court.