Washington Company Fined $231,000 for Asbestos Violations

A Washington company was fined $231,000 for exposing workers to asbestos at a jobsite.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries fined U-Haul of Spokane for exposing workers to asbestos during renovations of a former K-Mart building. The company failed to conduct asbestos testing before beginning work, despite the building’s nearly 60-year-old structure, according to L&I.

Subsequent testing by the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency reportedly found that roughly 90,000 square feet of vinyl floor tiles and adhesive contained asbestos. Initial remediation efforts were made, but some 7,400 square feet of asbestos-laden materials remained when the U-Haul service center opened in March 2023, according to L&I.

Unaware of the asbestos risk, mechanics removed and discarded damaged tiles without proper protective equipment or training. L&I’s investigation resulted in 16 serious violations, some classified as willful, citing U-Haul’s negligence.

This is reportedly not the first offense by a U-Haul franchise owner, as a similar asbestos violation occurred in California in 2019.

Topics Washington