Company faces $484,000 in OSHA fines

BUFFALO — Cambria Contracting Inc. faces $484,000 in U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for failing to train and protect workers in the hazards of asbestos during a recent debris cleanup, according to the Buffalo News.

According to the story, OSHA charged that several Cambria Contracting workers, who allegedly had not been told that asbestos was present at the former Adam, Meldrum & Anderson Company (AM&A) warehouse worksite, lacked proper respirators and protective clothing.

Rather than using vacuums with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to collect debris, Cambria Contracting supposedly removed the debris using methods that can cause the asbestos to be released into the air, the story stated.

In all, Cambria Contracting, which has 15 days to contest the findings or comply with the proposed penalties, was cited for 11 willful violations that OSHA defines as an act committed with indifference or intentional disregard for worker safety and health, the story noted.

Robert Kulick, OSHA's New York regional administrator, said: "Cambria Contracting, as an experienced asbestos abatement firm, was aware of the training requirements and other safeguards that were mandated at the site. [Their actions are] unacceptable and needlessly placed the health of these workers at risk."

OSHA also alleges that Cambria Contracting failed to determine the level of asbestos exposure that its workers were subjected to and did not set up a regulated work area for handling and removing the asbestos, the story added.

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