The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has filed a complaint proposing a civil penalty of $70,535 against a Bristol flooring contractor. The EPA said they’re seeking fines for alleged violations of asbestos requirements under the federal Clean Air Act.
The New England office of EPA charged McGovern’s Floor Covering Inc. with several violations of federal asbestos regulations. The alleged violations took place during a renovation the company conducted at a church in Barrington in August 2003. The EPA says McGovern’s violated requirements of the Asbestos NESHAP rule while installing flooring in two classrooms at the Barrington Congregational Church.
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The complaint alleges that the company used a high-speed sander/grinder on existing vinyl asbestos floor tile within the church building but church officials stopped work when dust was seen in and around the work area. The church immediately closed the building and hired an environmental consultant to test for asbestos.
After lab tests confirmed the presence of asbestos, the building was thoroughly inspected and a state-certified abatement contractor performed cleanup.
The violations alleged by EPA in its complaint include the company’s failure to inspect for asbestos, provide proper notification to regulators of the presence of asbestos, wet asbestos and maintain wetness during operations, have trained personnel on site, properly dispose of asbestos waste, and thereafter maintain asbestos disposal records, the EPA said.
Airborne asbestos fibers, when inhaled into the lungs, can increase the risk of asbestosis, a debilitating lung disease, and may also increase risks for various types of cancers. EPA recognizes no safe level of exposure to airborne asbestos.
