4 Worcester County Companies Pay $129,000 in Asbestos Violation Accusations

WORCESTER, MA — Four affiliated Worcester-area companies agreed to pay up to $129,000, settling allegations that their workers illegally stored, removed and handled materials that contained asbestos during two demolition projects. One company also failed to pay $54,000 in penalties for prior violations.

The consent judgment, announced Attorney General Maura Healey, settles a lawsuit originally brought by the AG’s Office in July 2014 against the Oxford-based Patriots Environmental for failing to follow proper procedures and safety precautions when the company removed asbestos-containing materials from a home in Sturbridge, and for failing to pay a $54,714 penalty assessed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) for asbestos and hazardous waste violations.

“Improper handling of asbestos during construction and demolition work can cause serious health hazards,” said AG Healey in a statement. “In order to prevent the exposure of workers, the public, and the environment to dangerous asbestos fibers, such projects must be conducted in strict accordance with state regulations, and we will vigorously pursue those who fail to comply with those safety requirements.”

The proper handling of asbestos-containing materials during construction and demolition work is necessary to protect human health. Airborne asbestos fibers taken into the lungs by breathing may over time cause serious lung diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma.

Amended in July 2015, the complaint included allegations that the owners of Patriots Environmental were operating with three other companies they owned – Demo Realty in Oxford, CRB Demolition Corp. in Charlton, and Patriots Realty, LLC, in Worcester – including when conducting the illegal asbestos removal projects alleged in the complaint.

Patriots Environmental was allegedly hired in July of 2013 to remove asbestos shingles from a home in Sturbridge.

During the project, Patriots Environmental, using workers from Demo Realty, allegedly caused the asbestos shingles to break apart, dropping asbestos-containing debris onto the ground and into unsealed plastic bags exposed to the air, said a release. The company also didn't allegedly cover, wet or seal the containers to prevent the release of the fibers in the air.

Both Demo Realty and CRB Demolition, it alleged in the amended complaint, failed to properly remove asbestos-containing material during demolition of the Somerset Berkley Regional High School in Somerset. According to the complaint, the companies allegedly released asbestos fibers from the building into the air during the demolition and left piles of rubble containing asbestos on the ground without properly wetting or placing it in sealed storage containers.

Under the terms of the consent judgment, Patriots Environmental, Patriots Realty, Demo Realty and CRB Demolition will pay a $129,000 civil penalty to the state, of which $65,000 will be paid out over a two-and-a-half year period, starting with an initial $20,000 due by May 1, 2016, and continuing with $9,000 payments every six months until November 1, 2018. The remaining $64,000 will be suspended if the defendants comply with the payment schedule and cause no further asbestos violations.