OHSU issued $10,400 penalty for asbestos work at Oregon National Primate Research Center
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a $10,400 civil penalty to Oregon Health & Science University for failing to hire a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to perform an asbestos abatement project. OHSU was also cited, without penalty, for failing to have an accredited inspector thoroughly survey the facility for asbestos prior to performing the renovation. The violations occurred in July 2016 at a renovation project in the Oregon National Primate Research Center located at 505 NW 185th Ave., Beaverton, OR.
DEQ considered subsequent efforts to minimize the impacts of these violations when calculating the amount of the civil penalty.
DEQ issued the penalty because the asbestos abatement project did not comply with applicable asbestos regulations, and possibly resulted in asbestos fibers being released into the air with possible exposure to the public. Asbestos fibers are known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. There is no known safe level of exposure.
View the enforcement letter: http://www.oregon.gov/deq/nr/072817ohsu.pdf
Contact:
Matthew Van Sickle, Public Information Officer, DEQ, 503-229-6044 vansickle.matthew@deq.state.or.us