Two companies, Northlake Capital & Development and 3917 Densmore LLC, are facing thousands of dollars in fines after the Washington Department of Labor and Industries cited improper and unsafe asbestos handling at a Seattle home-flipping site.
The Department of Labor and Industries initially receive complaints from neighbors near the residential project. Neighbors noticed employees improperly removing exterior asbestos titles from the house during the weekend. Residents approached the leaders on the site, but the inappropriate actions continued.
Eventually, the companies’ owners, James Thorpe and Chris Walters, received 11 violations for four separate investigations; the violations totaled to $789,200 in fines. The citation included problems such as improper removal of asbestos, not using a certified asbestos supervisor and not obtaining an asbestos good faith survey before work began.
Why is proper asbestos removal so crucial?
Almost 3,000 people every year are diagnosed with mesothelioma – a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. If asbestos is mishandled, workers are at a higher risk for developing mesothelioma and other diseases, including lung cancer and asbestosis.
Employees only need one exposure to suffer complications of asbestos, and it may take decades for symptoms show. It makes it critical for employers to follow proper protocol and use an asbestos supervisor to remove building materials containing asbestos.
Workers exposed to asbestos need to visit a healthcare professional and consider seeking compensation for damages caused by mesothelioma or an asbestos-related condition. It may offer financial relief to you or your loved ones.