Solomon’s Porch youth center in Wenatchee, WA is to serve hundreds of high-risk teens and includes a homeless shelter. However, part of the construction that was under way last year apparently included asbestos removal that violated guidelines. The contractor, Evergreen Asbestos, was fined $25,450 for 14 violations.

The L&I spokesperson, Hector Castro, indicated that this particular contractor should have known better. The agency’s concern focused on the workers’ safety, although Castro was not sure if nonworkers might have been exposed to dangerous material soon after the asbestos removal project.

The company owner of Evergreen Asbsestos maintains that there was no risk to the workers. However, violations cited include that the contractor failed to ensure that “all surfaces were maintained as free of … dusts and waste containing asbestos. One employee was on his hands and knees in no protective equipment or clothing.” Additionally, employees were allowed to wear half face respirators with facial hair, beards, and goatees.

A cavalier attitude toward workers’ safety is what has led to billions of dollars of lawsuits on behalf of those, who suffer or have died from mesothelioma, a deadly disease resulting from asbestos exposure.