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Two Vancouver business owners fined $116,000 over violating asbestos rules

‘The owner of NW Quality Flooring mislead L&I, his customers — even his business partner, and he got caught’

By Alexis Weisend, Columbian staff reporter
Published: January 15, 2025, 11:59am

Two Vancouver business owners are facing a combined $116,000 in fines for ignoring rules to protect people and the environment from asbestos at a home-flipping site.

The owner of NW Quality Flooring and his flipping partner, the owner of Russ Tile Work LLC, were remodeling a 1977 home in Vancouver they co-own when the Environmental Protection Agency alerted the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries about falsified lab results to dump asbestos-containing construction debris, according to an L&I news release.

Asbestos exposure can lead to diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

Although only a certified asbestos abatement contractor can remove and dispose of building materials containing asbestos, the two house flippers did all of the remodeling work themselves, according to the news release.

The owner of NW Quality Flooring falsified a negative asbestos test result from a former job by altering it to appear as if it applied to the 1977 remodel. He gave the fake document to a local waste disposal company, falsified other records and repeatedly lied to L&I inspectors, according to L&I.

Inspectors determined the owner of Russ Tile Work wasn’t aware of his partner’s actions, according to the news release.

“The owner of NW Quality Flooring mislead L&I, his customers — even his business partner, and he got caught,” Cari Anderson, deputy assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said in the news release.

“He put anyone who walks into this house at risk, including other contractors and the next homeowner. We’re always going to take that very seriously,” Anderson said.

The owners of both companies are appealing the fines for willful serious violations and asbestos-related violations.

L&I has referred the case to the state Attorney General’s environmental protection division for potential criminal charges, according to the news release.

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