Washingtion Contractor Fined for Exposing Workers to Asbestos

A contractor in Washington was fined $200,000 for putting workers at risk during a demolition project at a home in Bellevue, Washington.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited Seattle Environmental Services LLC for knowingly exposing workers to toxic conditions on a 2025 project while telling inspectors that the site was safe.

When inspectors were called to a home in Bellevue, the owner of the company reportedly told inspectors that the job was a general demolition project, and that samples that were tested came out as negative for asbestos, making respiratory gear optional.

However, Seattle Environmental Services couldn’t provide evidence that they actually tested the material that they planned to tear out for asbestos, so inspectors posted an order to stop the work, according to L&I.

L&I said evidence was present that looked like the contractor was treating the jobsite like an asbestos removal project. Inspectors took pictures of yellow bags designed for asbestos waste, and a negative air machine was also found with an exhaust tube running through the property’s sliding door, inspectors say.

When the contractor produced test results hours after the work stopage, it was confirmed that nearly 3,000 square feet of walls and ceilings contained asbestos. By the time the test results were available, three workers had already removed the toxic material without using proper respirators and decontamination showers, according to L&I.

L&I said that after the initial story, the employer said he mixed up the abatement job with another. He worked with inspectors to make sure that the asbestos debris was removed, which led L&I to allow the company to restart the work on the site.

Seattle Environmental Services was cited 10 times for willful serious violations, as well as six serious and four general violations for ignoring rules for removing asbestos and for providing inaccurate information to L&I.