Alaskan Building Owner Exposes Workers to Asbestos -
Matt Bobich of Northern Lights Center LLC has been charged $70,000 in penalties due to violating state safety regulations while renovating a building that investigators claim he knew contained the toxic substance asbestos, potentially exposing workers and putting them at risk of later developing mesothelioma.
The almost 50,000 square foot building was the former home to the Matanuska Maid creamery and distribution center located in Midtown Anchorage, Alaska. Investigators from the Alaskan Occupational Safety and Health Organization (AKOSH) claim Bobich knew that the building contained asbestos containing materials and yet failed to warn employees or provide protection during demolition.
Any building built before the 1980’s is likely to contain materials that were made with asbestos. Asbestos was used in thousands of construction products due to its high insulating and fire protective properties. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Bobich has agreed to pay the $70,000 fine as part of a settlement, but refuses to accept any responsibility –calling the negligence to protect his workers as a technicality. You would think we were back in the 1940’s when asbestos manufactures were claiming innocence even though workers were beginning to fall ill due to exposure to asbestos and dying from the lack of protection.
It’s one thing to feign innocence due to ignorance 70 years ago. For me, in the year 2010, it should be considered a crime and building owners who are profiting from ignoring safety regulations that might cost them a little more should be held responsible in ways that send a clear message, to the pocketbook and otherwise, that such negligence will not be tolerated when peoples’ lives are at stake.
