Oregon School District Staff Exposed to Asbestos

November 7, 2006 - Two Oregon state agencies have discovered that several employees from the Willamette Education Service District (WESD) were exposed to asbestos for at least a month this past summer during the remodeling of a leased building.

The Salem-based Statesman Journal reports that the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality plan to fine WESD, the building's owner, and contractors doing the remodeling work at a building that used to house the district’s special education program.

An investigation by the agencies discovered that asbestos flooring was improperly removed from the building in June and subsequently stored on pallets in the warehouse.  The newspaper reports that water was not used during removal and the waste was not packaged properly.

In July, more flooring was removed by a contractor, who was also not licensed to remove asbestos.  The report states that the two incidences "could have released asbestos fibers into the air and exposed workers, tenants and the public to asbestos,"

A complaint by a concerned employee finally prompted district officials to shut down the ventilation system, close the building and notify Chuck Sides, a local developer and the owner of the building.

At that point, according to the newspaper account, Sides hired a licensed asbestos-abatement contractor to clean up the hallways and properly dispose of the asbestos-containing materials stored in the warehouse.  During this work, proper warning signs in regards to the presence of asbestos were not posted, and reports note that several people entered the area before they were told about the hazard.  Most of them were WESD custodial staff members or employees of the other businesses in the building.

The district has no immediate plans to move back into the building in question and has since moved its special education program to a different location.