If your Fort Lauderdale construction company runs afoul of federal laws regarding disposal of hazardous waste, it can cost you plenty of money in fines and penalties.
The agency that deals with the disposal of hazardous waste is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the construction industry, a common hazard that requires special handling and disposal is asbestos. While asbestos has not been used in new builds for many decades, developers often encounter it when a project involves a tear-down in order to clear the space for its eventual construction use.
This is not an area where a construction company owner wants to cut corners. Not only does skating the rules of asbestos removal and disposal pose severe health risks to your crew, it wreaks havoc on the environment to dump the toxic substance irresponsibly.
It’s far better to contract with a business that is licensed to handle and dispose of asbestos and other hazardous waste from construction sites than to find yourself a defendant in a lawsuit. You could even face charges for violating federal regulations. Neither will improve your standing as a forthright business owner in your community.
It is possible that you could inadvertently break an environmental regulation because an uniformed worker encountered a situation or substance without realizing that it had been designated as hazardous. Regardless, the buck always stops with the boss, which is you.
At that point, you need to salvage your own reputation and the integrity of your construction company by immediately attempting to mitigate any damages and launching a stalwart defense against any charges that may be levied against you.
Source: FindLaw, “Identifying and Disposing of Hazardous Waste: Explanations for Small Business Owners,” accessed Jan. 19, 2018