Page County, Virginia officials were issued a citation after asbestos was found in a county office building on South Court Street. The state agency that issued the citation noted that the presence of asbestos is a health risk for both employees and to the public.
According to Page County officials, they have notified all occupants of the building via email and have begun addressing the violations.
Citation Names Five Major Concerns
During the inspection, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry found several violations of Virginia’s Occupational Safety and Health Laws. The citation names the following five concerns:
- Presence of asbestos-containing materials such as asbestos-wrapped pipes found in the basement and throughout the building.
- The entrances to areas of the building that contained asbestos were not marked.
- Cleaning and mechanical crews in charge of maintaining the building were not made aware of possible asbestos exposure and were not properly trained.
- The walls located on the second floor contained lead-paint and had begun to chip.
- Pigeons nesting in the attic created toxic waste that had not been cleaned.
According to Henry Mikus, the county’s director of public works, the inspection followed a complaint about the building’s condition.
County Officials Respond to Citation
County Administrator, Mark Belton noted that the county planned on scheduling its own asbestos inspection, but they were beat to the finish line. Had they gone through with their intended asbestos inspection, he said the county would have had the asbestos, lead paint and any other hazardous material properly cleaned or removed.
As a result of the citation, the county has scheduled asbestos training for employees working in the building Oct. 10. They have also ensured state officials that they plan to seal off any areas of the building with asbestos-containing materials until it is properly removed.
According to members of the board of supervisors, the safety issue of the county building has been a topic of discussion for some time now, but they have not settled on a plan of action. The members are currently discussing a few different plans and hope to come to a decision soon.
(Source: Page News & Courier)
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