Asbestos Exposure: OSHA Cites 7 Companies in Miami and San Antonio

Seven construction companies—three contractors based in Miami and four subcontractors based in San Antonio—have been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with 46 violations after exposing workers to asbestos.

Proposed penalties from all companies combined are $148,000. The contractors in Miami have been cited with 14 of the violations and their fines total $67,600. The subcontractors in San Antonio have been cited with 32 violations and projected fines are $80,400.

Some serious violations the companies were charged with include: failure to decrease asbestos hazards in working areas, failure to perform air monitoring for asbestos, failure to use engineering controls to prevent exposure, failure to use proper protective equipment, and failure to train workers on asbestos hazards at the workplace.

OSHA classifies a serious violation as one that occurs when there is a large chance that serious physical harm or death could result from a hazard of which employers were or should have been aware.

Inhalation of asbestos can be extremely hazardous, especially for individuals working in an environment where asbestos is present. Approximately 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Airborne asbestos fibers travel into the body, attack soft tissue, and can result in serious health conditions such as mesothelioma cancer, lung disease, and asbestosis,” says Ed Cahill, Vice President of EMSL’s Asbestos Division. “EMSL has been analyzing asbestos for employers and homeowners for over 30 years to help prevent exposure.”

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