Ohio Excavation Company Accidentally Gives Away Asbestos-Contaminated Dirt

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on December 14, 2007

J.B. Hayes Excavating & Pipeline, Inc. was subcontracted back in June for asbestos abatement and demolition at the site of the former Vinton County Junior High School to make room for three new schools.

The company was supposed to dispose of all hazardous materials from the site at the Athens-Hocking landfill.

But instead, Dan Buck of J.B. Hayes said the fill dirt, which contained pieces of tiling and wall scraps, was given to local residents who were willing to take it off their hands.

In June, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency received a complaint call from a resident who said someone was burning asbestos-laden material close to the school site. When the county health department tested the material, they found that it did in fact contain asbestos, which was a serious infraction.

The EPA and the health department held J.B. Hayes responsible for the accident and ordered them to clean up all the sites the fill dirt was taken to. The entire cleanup process ended up costing more than $60,000.

Buck said the money was well worth it, since the company is not in the business of messing up people's lives.

All fill dirt has since been transported to the landfill.

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