The US Department of Justice has announced that a construction company has entered into a plea agreement with the Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for removing asbestos illegally.
AIREKO Construction Company has been ordered to pay $172,020 to cover baseline medical examinations, as well as follow-up medical examinations for about 450 people who have been exposed to asbestos fibers.
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In May 11, 2012, an AIREKO subcontractor crew removed 550 square feet of asbestos from the Minillas North Tower building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The crew then disposed of the material behind the building without following the Asbestos Work Practice Standards enforced by federal law.
The discarded material was discovered by AIREKO employees the following day. The company, however, failed to immediately report the incident to the National Response Center (NRC), as mandated by law.
“Asbestos exposure can cause cancer, lung disease and other serious respiratory diseases,” said Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division New York special agent-in-charge Tyler Amon. “In this case, AIREKO Construction avoided hiring trained and certified asbestos abatement professionals. AlREKO did the work ‘on the cheap’, willfully putting workers and others at risk. We will not allow businesses to cut corners on environmental protection at the expense of people’s health.”
Construction Equipment additionally reported that Edgardo Albino, the AIREKO vice-president who previously pleaded guilty to failing to immediately notify the NRC of the asbestos release, was sentenced to pay a fine and serve a six-month probation.
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