Supervisor Accused of Violating Asbestos Removal Standards
Asbestos removal requires adherence to strict federal safety standards to protect workers and the public. Anyone who violates those standards is subject to fine and imprisonment.
Robert Langill found that out recently when he pleaded guilty to removing asbestos in an illegal manner at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in 2003. Langill, a supervisor of a Maryland asbestos removal company, violated state and local laws when he instructed workers to smash transite panels with hammers and crowbars without adequately wetting them down in order to decrease the danger of releasing toxic asbestos fibers into the atmosphere. The broken panels also were left overnight in bags unlabeled as toxic waste.
The mesothelioma attorneys at Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason caution against non-approved asbestos removal because asbestos fibers, when inhaled or ingested, can mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer.
In the suit, brought by the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Langill was said to “intentionally violate federal work practice standards established to protect people and the environment from harmful exposure to asbestos.” The supervisor did not report the abatement project to the proper authorities, another violation of state law. Most states require contractors to specify methods and safety procedures of asbestos removal to comply with safety practices.
Langill faces up to five years in prison and $25,000 in fines.
To learn more about mesothelioma log on to www.mesothelioma-attorney.com/mesothelioma.
