SALINAS >> A lawsuit settlement reached between a Salinas nursing home and contractors for violating asbestos-related laws netted $295,000 in civil penalties and costs, the Monterey County District Attorney”s Office said Thursday.
The settlement is in connection to a violation made by the owners and operators of Windsor Gardens in Salinas in 2012. Windsor Gardens and the S&F Management Company failed to conduct an asbestos survey when they made some renovations to the facility.
The renovations were made in the wallboard of patients” rooms and after the work was done, a coating with more than 1 percent in asbestos was left, which exceeded the asbestos-related regulations. Exposure to asbestos fibers are known to increase a person”s risks to lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
The owners of the nursing home and S&F, which oversaw the renovation, settled for a total of $225,000 with the District Attorney”s Environmental Protection Unit. The settlement covered civil penalties, costs and a supplemental project for the CAL-EPA”s Environmental Training account.
The contractors are part of the settlement. The Stahl Companies, Inc., which was hired to do the work at the nursing home, settled for $70,435 in civil penalties and costs. The workers were responsible for using wet methods or another safe method, but when they didn”t do so, they were unable to minimize the asbestos exposure emitted during the renovation project.
This is the second time a nursing home in Monterey County managed by S&F has been involved in an asbestos lawsuit settlement. In 2011, Windsor Monterey Care Center and S&F settled for $110,000 in civil penalties and costs for violations committed during a 2009 renovation project at the Windsor facility located in Monterey.
The California Hazardous waste law requires a thorough survey to be conducted after work is done to indicate if wallboard or structures contain asbestos.
Ana Ceballos can be reached at 726-4377.
