Madigan
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced on Tuesday that her office has obtained a preliminary injunction against a Yorkville, Ill.-based company to remediate a contaminated work site.
Madigan alleged that Advanced Roofing Inc. improperly removed, handled and disposed of asbestos-containing roofing materials at Chapel on the Green Historical Society in Yorkville, Ill. The preliminary injunction, obtained in Kendal County Circuit Court on Monday, requires the company to implement a remediation plan that has been approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The work will be done by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor.
"There's little margin for error when workers disturb building materials containing asbestos," Madigan said. "Laws to protect the public must be followed because there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos."
Advanced Roofing was hired to remove the existing roof and install a new roof at the Chapel on the Green Historical Society, located on West Center St. The IEPA took samples at the worksite and confirmed the presence of asbestos.
Workers allegedly used shovels to place dry roofing materials in open wheelbarrows to be transported to an unlined dumpster for disposal. Roofing materials that contained asbestos were allegedly scattered on the ground next to the building. In addition, the materials were allegedly not wetted properly to inhibit the release of asbestos fibers into the air.
Madigan's office filed the seven-count complaint against Advanced Roofing simultaneously with a motion for preliminary injunction. Each count seeks the maximum statutory civil penalty of $50,000 per violation with an additional $10,000 for each day the violation continues.