Financial penalty for contractor that violated asbestos regulations.
An Albuquerque contractor has agreed to pay a $225,000 penalty under a consent judgment for asbestos air quality violations that occurred during the 2007 demolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs school dormitory in Holbrook, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced last week.
In May 2007, a subcontractor for Gerald A. Martin Ltd., a New Mexico corporation, began demolition of the dormitory after the building had reportedly gone through an abatement process for the presence of asbestos and a quantity had been removed.
After demolition of the facilities had begun, the subcontractor discovered within the debris materials that he believed contained asbestos. At that time the demolition came to a standstill as the Holbrook Fire Department was called in to wet down the debris to ensure that it would not become airborne, and thus become a potential hazard. As a precautionary measure, Holbrook High School canceled a football game and the area surrounding the demolition was cordoned off.
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