Source: https://www.chron.com, April 2, 2019 By: Julian Gill and Jasper Scherer One person has died and two people were injured  in a fire Tuesday morning  at KMCO chemical plant in Crosby, authorities said. Several authorities including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Gary Hendry confirmed the death. Two people were […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental To achieve the completion date on a school project, the GC accelerated its schedule, allowing the drywall contractor to start before the building envelope was completed. Rain damaged a majority of the installed drywall as well as the materials stored on site. This resulted in $2 million in repair costs and […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC renovating a bank hired an asbestos abatement contractor. As part of their final cleanup process on a Friday, the abatement contractor utilized a high-pressure wash, resulting in saturated carpets, ceilings and walls. Materials remained saturated over the weekend while the HVAC system remained turned off. The GC was greeted […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC was renovating an elementary school. During the course of work, dust from concrete cutting set off the fire alarms. Parents of students filed a claim against the general contractor for bodily injury due to fear of contracting silicosis. Although the GC was not held liable for causing a pollution […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC used muriatic acid while performing concrete etching in a commercial building. The highly corrosive fumes from the acid were not properly contained and were released into the building damaging the newly installed chrome fixtures. As a result, the GC was responsible for $75,000 in property damages.

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC removed lead-based paint from a commercial building. The contractor isolated the work areas with containment; however, the HVAC system was not disconnected. The dust generated from the lead removal operations clogged the heating coils of the HVAC system in the building. The contractor was liable for replacing the HVAC […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC was renovating a municipal government building and did not properly contain the area to minimize seepage of fumes from materials utilized and emissions from gas-powered generators and equipment. Ten separate bodily injury claims were filed when employees complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory  problems due to unsafe air quality […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A subcontractor improperly tied-in sewage piping during installation causing raw sewage to migrate into the underlying ground, contaminating a nearby water well. The general contractor was subject to defense costs exceeding $25,000 as well as property damage and bodily injury claims.

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC installed new carpeting in an office building. One week after installation, the building owner informed the contractor that employees were complaining of headaches and dizziness. This was attributed to the odors from the new carpets. The general contractor could not prove that the manufacturer of the carpet or the carpet […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC added a curing agent to a concrete utility trench it had poured. The curing agent emitted vapors containing xylene. When an employee at the facility entered the enclosure, he was overcome by the vapors, became dizzy, and fell into the trench, sustaining various injuries. The employee filed suit against […]

Source: https://www.wytv.com, March 29, 2019 Youngstown has 331 potential sites that store hazardous chemicals underground Next Tuesday, demolition will begin on an abandoned gas station in Brookfield, not only because it’s an eyesore but also because it’s a health hazard. But Brookfield isn’t the only area in the Valley that has an issue with old […]

Source: https://www.watertowndailytimes.com, March 30, 2019 By: Craig Fox After being in a holding pattern for 27 years, cleanup will begin next month on a 1.9-acre contaminated site of a former Niagara Mohawk manufactured gas plant on Engine Street. To be finished over three phases, the comprehensive cleanup to rid the site of contamination left by […]