No PPE for Houston workers cutting into asbestos-containing pipes
While repairing water mains in 2011, workers in Houston were not informed that the pipes they were dealing with were composed of 35 percent asbestos. They were not provided with personal protective equipment needed for handling asbestos.
And, in a move that exposed the environment as well as themselves to asbestos, they cut the pipes using a power saw and a sledge hammer – as they were instructed to do.