OSHA Probes Capitol Tunnel Asbestos Fiasco

September 29, 2006 - In yet another chapter in the saga of asbestos contamination in the undergrounds tunnels of the U.S. Capitol Building, The Hill reports that federal safety officials are investigating an Architect of the Capitol (AoC) contractor for allegedly failing to properly remove asbestos from the underground utility tunnels in question.

The article states that Christian Raley and Martin Blanchet, both members of the Capitol Power Plant tunnel crew, contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last month to inform them that the removal of asbestos was not done in accordance with federal regulations for proper abatement.  The report issued by OSHA states that the contractor “failed to properly erect containment barriers around grates and manholes” during removal of materials containing dangerous asbestos.

The incident report also noted that there were several torn bags of asbestos material left sitting in the tunnel as well as a good amount of loose, unbagged asbestos-containing materials.

A spokesperson from the Department of Labor noted that “OSHA has opened an inspection with private-sector contractors involved in working in and around the tunnels.  “There has been no citation at this time.”

However, Eva Malecki, a spokeswoman for the AoC, has said that the contractor is addressing the issues of concern.