Asbestos Violations Exposed at Texas VA Hospital

Federal investigators supported a San Antonio whistleblower that exposed the unsafe handling of toxic asbestos at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in south Texas. The worker, who has served as a maintenance mechanic and janitor at the South Texas VA Health Care System hospital since 1974, told federal authorities that hospital management for years failed to protect its workers from airborne asbestos, which can lead to deadly cancers such as mesothelioma. A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical inspector conducted an investigation in 2014. This month, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel sent President Barack Obama and Congress a letter detailing the findings of the VA's probe. According to Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner's letter, Audie Murphy VA Hospital failed to: take appropriate precautions to protect maintenance workers from exposure to unsafe levels of asbestos inform employees of the location and quantity of asbestos-containing materials in the area provide a medical surveillance program for all employees exposed to asbestos levels higher than permissible limits Worker Observes Numerous Asbestos Management Violations The longtime maintenance mechanic, who requested anonymity, sounded the alarm on the government-run facility after witnessing several years’ worth of unsafe asbestos management practices. He claimed supervisors directed him and other maintenance employees, including plumbers, pipefitters and air conditioning mechanics, to perfo...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure & Bans Source Type: news