A Massachusetts man recently pleaded guilty to charges of illegally removing asbestos at a Naval Air Station in Maryland.

The previous supervisor now faces up to five years in prison and $25,000 in possible fines for improperly removing asbestos from various buildings.

Man Accused of Negligence

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has accused Robert Langill of violating federal work practice standards.

Langill has been accused of putting his employees and the environment at risk due to his negligence.

“We will continue to prosecute individuals who violate the very laws that they are entrusted to comply with,” commented US Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

Work Standards Violated

Langill was a previous supervisor for a Maryland asbestos removal company while employed at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in 2003.

As a supervisor, he was in charge of removing transite panels from buildings at the Station.

Over a three-month period, Langill forced his workers to remove the panels with hammers and crowbars while releasing asbestos fibers.

In one of the buildings, the panels were reportedly not wet enough in order to decreases the release of fibers.

In addition to the inadequate removal, Langill reportedly didn’t tell the Maryland Department of the Environment about the project.

(Source: Associated Content)

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