Residents of a public housing complex in Henderson, Nevada – a suburb of Las Vegas – claim that the local housing authority has been improperly removing asbestos from several units in the complex.
According to a story on News 3 – Las Vegas, residents at the Hampton Court Public Housing Development report that workers are not handling the removal of asbestos from old units safely. They believe that deadly fibers from the material are being released into the air, exposing residents and anyone else who enters the development. They say they’re also worried that the Clark County Housing Authority is not following proper safety procedures such as requiring workers to wear protective suits during the abatement procedure.
When a news reporter approached a worker outside a unit who was not wearing a suit, he replied: “Hello, we’re working outside, sir.â€Â
The company hired to do the abatement, A&B Environmental, told the media that each apartment has a three-stage decontamination process. Workers remove contaminated suits inside the units, so nobody outside would ever actually see a suit, they added.
The Housing Authority has assured residents that they are following all safety precautions and have told concerned individuals that “it’s impossible to get sick from asbestos in such a short time.â€Â
A&B Environmental, says a county spokesperson, is a licensed abatement company whose methods have been approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
