OSHA Sites Elementary School on Asbestos Removal Violations

By Beth Malicki, Anchor/Reporter

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: May 10, 2007 at 5:20 PM CST

Story Updated: May 11, 2007 at 12:40 PM CST

WASHINTON - An investigation at Stewart Elementary School in Washington has uncovered some violation relating to asbestos removal.

This school was built in 1939. Long before asbestos was banned as a building material. In March a kindergarten teacher noticed some floor tiles were cracking and crumbling.

The teacher told school officials and a custodian pulled up more than 170-square-feet of asbestos contaminated tiles and threw them in the school dumpster.

Someone filed a complaint with OSHA and an investigation followed.

OSHA focuses on employee safety but the issue of improperly removing asbestos is especially concerning for parents.

"I think there were many levels of concern and that's justifiable because when you hear asbestos, it's kind of a scary substance. We tried to do what we could at the time," said Melissa Walker, Stewart Elementary principal.

The first violation OSHA cited was an employee who removed the asbestos wasn't trained in using a respirator. The second violation was for asbestos contaminated tiles being tossed in the trash. And the third violation was for the custodial staff not being trained in how to work around asbestos.

The fines could total around 4-thousand dollars. But that amount will likely be reduced if the school makes changes and it already has.

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