A former operator of commercial/residential property in Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and fined $12,500 for violating asbestos work practices during the renovation of 10 floors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Bobby Joe Knapp committed the violations between 2005 and 2008. While Knapp was overseeing the renovation of Des Moines' Equitable Building, workers illegally removed asbestos from the building and disposed of it in an uncovered dumpster. Knapp also failed to provide workers with PPE to reduce to exposure to asbestos, which the EPA said increases the risk of developing lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.
One of Knapp's employees testified that he and his colleagues were never instructed to wet asbestos-containing tiles before and during demolition in order to decrease exposure. Testimony showed that Knapp's actions endangered tenants in the building, which houses retail, residential and office spaces.
On March 18 Knapp pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and one count of violating the act's asbestos work standards, which requires public building owners to safely remove asbestos. Specifically, renovation supervisors must notify the EPA beforehand about the project, wet asbestos during removal and before disposal, and dispose of the material at an EPA-approved disposal site.
