Brooklyn maintenance workers exposed to raw sewage, asbestosNew York, New York - A Brooklyn, New York landlord has been fined for exposing maintenance workers to pools of raw sewage and asbestos a highly toxic mineral fiber that is found in a wide variety of pre-1980’s building materials and causes such fatal illnesses as lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities. So negligent were the owners of the Flatbush Gardens apartment complex that they were served with 20 violations and a fine totaling $51,100 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Inspectors found raw sewage flooding the basements of the 59-building complex. Workers had to regularly had to wade through stagnant water and rodent feces. Workers also had to strip lead paint and drywall without proper training or protective gear, and they were never informed that the complex’s pipes were covered with asbestos. Any disturbance of these pipes could cause the workers to inhale carcinogenic asbestos fibers. These fibers lodge in the lungs for decades eventually causing the onset of pleural mesothelioma, a cancer specific to the lining of the lungs, which can later spread to the lining of the chest wall and abdomen.
"The violations uncovered are basic safety and health issues that should have been addressed and were not," said OSHA's Manhattan-area director Kay Gee.
The Flatbush employees have been locked out since November, when they refused to accept a 30% pay cut. However, complaints about working conditions have been ongoing, first reporting their situation to the OSHA in 2010 before the lockout began.
