Employees Exposed to Asbestos at Illinois Workplace

A company in Kankakee, IL has been cited for five health violations concerning asbestos by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The violations were detected after receiving a complaint claiming hazards at the workplace. The total projected fine for the company is $59,400.

One of the company’s major repeat violations was their failure to establish a training program for their employees executing Class II asbestos work. According to OSHA, a repeat violation occurs when a company has been cited for the same or similar violation more than once over a five year span.

Other serious violations include: failure to complete air monitoring and conduct exposure assessments, failure to use suitable engineering controls and work practices, failure to create barriers or use resistant drop cloths, failure to ensure employees wear proper respirators and wear protective clothing, and failure to properly dispose of asbestos materials.

Inhalation of asbestos can be extremely hazardous, especially for individuals who are exposed over an extended period due to their occupation. Asbestos fibers travel into the body, and attack soft tissue. Inhalation of the fibers can result in mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis if overexposure occurs.

“Exposure to asbestos sickens thousands of Americans each year,” says Ed Cahill, Vice President of EMSL’s Asbestos Division. “All of our locations, in the United States and Canada, are fully equipped and accredited to test for the presence of asbestos in air, soil, water, and bulk building materials.”

For more information regarding EMSL’s asbestos services, please call 800-220-3675 or visit www.EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com