Legal news for New York Mesothelioma attorneys— Superior Abatement Inc. company workers mishandled asbestos at Roosevelt High School.
Long Island, NY (NewYorkInjuryNews.com) –Teachers at Roosevelt High School in Nassau, noticed white powder falling from the roof where workers were removing roofing materials that contained asbestos Tuesday, October 6, 2009, announced Newsday.
Superior Abatement Inc. of West Caldwell, N.J., workers had been removing the asbestos materials from the school building without wetting the deadly carcinogen dust down, which is a serious violation. In addition, the workers were not wearing safety masks to protect themselves from the cancer-causing agents. The New Jersey-based company has already been cited for five safety violations pertaining to asbestos-removal by the state Department of Labor http://www.labor.state.ny.us/. The workers began the removal on Sept. 3, 2009 and completed the job on Sept. 23, 2009.
The Superior Abatement Inc. workers were on the roof of Roosevelt High School cutting away at the waterproofing material, which contains asbestos. The workers failed vacuumed, wet down, and bag the hazardous white dust, as mandated by state and federal laws.
Student and teachers alike complained about the schools renovations, and the rain of toxic dust that fell from the roof. The District told students and teachers that the dust was sediments of Styrofoam insulation. An inspector showed up to the school to address the complaints about the roofing renovation debris.
Roosevelt’s school assistant principal, David Weiser, claimed the white dust was Styrofoam that was leftover from another contractor’s work, and was not the deadly asbestos as indicated by the inspector’s findings. The School District cleaned up the property and sent a notice home to parents assuring them that the school was free of asbestos in the inside the building.
The owner, Nick Petrovski, of Superior Abatement Inc, a certified asbestos removal company, reported that a new work crew replaced the old crew to finish the schools renovations on September 8th. He was greatly upset by the news of his old crew’s carelessness. He also admitted to have minor violations before this one. The high school student and teachers were still upset about the noxious materials that “looked like snow” falling from the roof. Teachers reported that some of the fallen debris ended up in the classrooms.
Bridget Hom
NewYorkInjuryNews.com