Companies Fined For Asbestos Violations At Wonderland Racetrack

REVERE, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fined three companies after it said it found "numerous" asbestos violations at the former Wonderland Greyhound Park.

Property owner CBW Lending, LLC was penalized $121,925; asbestos-abatement contractor Banner Environmental Service, based in Franklin, was fined $88,300; and demolition contractor Plumb House, Inc. of Milford, was fined $121,925.

All companies have had part of their penalties suspended, provided there are no further violations over the next year.

The agency said it found the violations during three inspections in October 2017. These included unlabeled single-layered poly bags containing dry asbestos materials, visible air emissions, inadequate containment around removal areas, lack of signs around storage areas and dirty air filters with no alarms and, in one location, improperly vented into the main building area, MassDEP said.

"Violations involving the removal and storage of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials can pose a serious health risk to workers and those nearby due to the potential for asbestos fibers to become airborne," Eric Worrall, director of MassDEP's Northeast Regional Office in Wilmington, said in a statement. "The prevalence of asbestos-containing materials in structures being demolished requires vigilance on the part of contractors to protect the public and the environment, and MassDEP will work to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations pertaining to that work.”

MassDEP issued an immediate cease-work order following the initial inspection, with a requirement that a non-traditional work plan be submitted for approval before the work could continue. That plan was approved by MassDEP in April 2018, and the work was carried out in compliance with all regulations from May to November of that year, the agency said.