Firm Fined for Asbestos Violations

May 6 , 2006 - A Big Flats, New York asbestos removal service company was recently fined $100,000 for years of improper removal of the material which, when not handled according to guidelines, can result in danger to those exposed to airborne fibers.

Lambert Asbestos Removal Service has been accused of falsifying records and failing to notify the Environmental Protection Agency of asbestos removal, which is in violation of a number of health, safety, and environmental laws. 

Many believe that Lambert is not in the minority when it comes to proper removal and that the practice of illegal removal of asbestos is rampant throughout the United States.  Previous charges where recently filed against another asbestos removal company in the same region of New York.

Lambert had already faced charges of falsifying records back in 1999.  Because of that, the court made a decision to ban the owners from the asbestos removal business. 

The charges against this western New York company involved work at three universities as well as at the Corning Town Hall in South Corning, New York and a Veterans Administration Building in nearby Bath.

The complaints, which occurred from 2001 to present, stated the following:

• At Alfred University in August 2002, the company discharged asbestos-containing material into floor pipes without a permit while working on a boiler. The complaint says that violated the Clean Water Act because the pipes discharged into a nearby stream.
• At Binghamton University on Feb. 27, 2003, Lambert's forged the signature of another person on waste shipment records during a project at a university lecture hall and failed to keep accurate waste shipment records.
• At Mansfield University in February and March 2002, the company failed to notify the EPA before beginning an asbestos project.
• At the Veterans Administration Center hospital in Bath in October 2002, the company failed to notify the EPA before starting asbestos work, failed to adequately wet down asbestos-containing material and failed to remove asbestos before beginning work that would dislodge it.