Asbestos News

Asbestos violations at the site of renovation work at a Ramada hotel in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, were recently handed down to the site's owner and operator.

According to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), the state settled the charges with Indus Hotels, LLC and Amana Hospitality, LLC for $80,000.

A complaint filed by the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) alleged that during renovation work that took place in early 2008, untrained workers were used to remove asbestos.

Specifically, the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) claimed that during an inspection it found evidence that unlicensed workers without protective equipment had scraped and partially removed ceiling material that contained asbestos.

In addition, a subsequent inspection in May 2008 found that asbestos-containing panels had been improperly removed from the site.

Such violations of rules governing the removal of asbestos put workers at risk of developing a number of deadly illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

As a result of these inspections, the state's DOJ filed a complaint accusing the companies of failing to properly inspect a building for asbestos and failing to inform authorities about the presence of asbestos, among other charges.