Legal Question in Employment Law in Florida

Hospital employee unkowingly exposed to asbestos

I am a computer technician for a hospital. I run computer data lines in the ceilings. It has recently come to my attention from a Plant Ops employee (maintains the building) that I and fellow employees have unknowingly been exposed to asbestos. We were never trained to work with this nor provided with any protective gear. I discussed this with my boss, she has confirmed the asbestos exists. The hospital was aware the whole time that these areas have asbestos and it is being treated by an outside vendor. They never informed myself or most others at the hospital this has been going on. The same director that confimed the asbestos with my boss knew that I was running these lines in the ceilings the whole time and said nothing about it. The only solution to this problem my employer is providing is giving us training on working in asbestos areas. I do not think this is enough and am concenred about my health. I know there is OSHA standards in place regarding this but I have a hard time comprehending what to expect the hospital to provide. I have been thinking about contacting OSHA with this concern but wanted to check with an attorney first to determine if this is a large issue where I need legal advice.


Asked on 6/20/03, 11:20 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Keith Stern Shavitz Law Group

Re: Hospital employee unkowingly exposed to asbestos

Contacting OSHA is exactly what you should do. Additionally, I would suggest consulting a doctor concerning the potential dangers of absestos exposure. Further, if you'd like to discuss any other concerns you have, please feel free to contact me at (305) 810-2887.

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Answered on 6/21/03, 12:56 pm


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