Fire engines and ladder trucks at the main fire station in Dedham, MA have been forced to stay outside since contractors uncovered asbestos during a renovation project.

According to an article in the Daily News-Transcript, inspectors from the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Services responded a few weeks ago to complaints about noise and dust coming from the station. Upon inspection, they found pipe insulation damaged by water-blasting in the garage. Inspectors determined that the insulation contained asbestos and immediately shut down the project.

“We ordered that the blasting work, which was stopped at the time of the inspection, not be resumed until existing contamination could be cleaned up and safeguards were put in place to prevent further damage,” said a statement released yesterday by Linnea Walsh, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. “Town officials, who were present during the inspection, complied with this request.”

It was recommended that Dedham officials hire a licensed asbestos abatement professional to assess the contamination and clean up the station. The town administrator, William Keegan, noted that the contractor doing the renovation work was responsible for the damage and the exposed asbestos. The contractor agreed to their responsibility for the error and volunteered to pay for the clean up.

“They needed to take down a section of the floor and a machine they were using malfunctioned and created damage inside the building,” Keegan said. “We are working to rectify the damage.”

Keegan added that the town’s primary concern was getting the work completed before the onset of winter, so trucks would not need to be parked outdoors.

“We are hoping to be back online next week and have the project done by Thanksgiving,” said Keegan, “but are looking at what to do if that does not happen.”

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 9:47 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.