Manufacturing facilities that used heat processes frequently also contain asbestos components, which managed the high temperatures and prevented fire. Now that these buildings are being redeveloped for residences and other uses, the problem of asbestos is reappearing.
For example, union workers in New York City are already raising the alarm at a renovation project something that won't even begin for 10 years. The project in question is the one-time Domino Sugar refinery, located in Brooklyn by the East River. As the online newspaper Gothamist reported recently, Local 78, which represents asbestos, lead, and hazardous waste laborers, is critical of a subcontractor. Workers are worried that the asbestos handler selected for the refinery had demonstrated a lackadaisical attitude during a previous abatement project, as the article phrased it.
"Given their [the asbestos handler's] history, and the serious actions state and city officials took in barring this company, it is clear that they are not up to performing a job of this magnitude in a safe and responsible manner," said a union spokesman, according to a New York Daily News article.
The abatement firm, and related companies, received 110 citations for unsafe asbestos practices by the New York Department of Labor since 2006. Violations included failing to properly wet the asbestos (this reduces toxicity), improperly bagging asbestos, and not ensuring employees had adequate protective gear.
The developer who selected the abatement firm said the violations are common for companies in this field.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and believe you were exposed to asbestos at a construction jobsite, you may be entitled to financial compensation. To learn more about your legal options, please contact Sokolove Law to discuss an asbestos lawsuit.
