The day the February 1993 the World Trade Center bombing occurred I was asked to go on-site to develop safety protocols for workers during cleanup operations and put in-charge of reviewing of all accident reports with respect to one of the clean-up contractor’s workers. I spent three (3) months on-site overseeing parts of the clean-up which was completed without incident.
I worked on an environmental case with a State of Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, Environmental Crimes Division, investigating the use of illegal landfill on a large parcel of land. I was instrumental in successfully gathering evidence and connecting it to a specific site that contained material not suitable for fill material. The company and its contractor were in violation of EPA and State of Connecticut environmental regulations.
Retained to investigate a chemical exposure case involving a large corporation failing to protect employees from a known human carcinogen exposure. The employees were not given the proper respiratory, thus causing several employees to develop berylliosis, a serious lung disease. With this particular toxic material over time, lung disease can be fatal. Chronic disease is a condition in which the tissues of the lungs become inflamed. This inflammation restricted the exchange of oxygen between the lungs and the bloodstream. The case was settled out of court based on the findings in our report.
I was called in to conduct a complete Environmental Site Investigation on a significantly large remediation project involving a corporation in Connecticut that had leased a small parcel of its property to a small automotive repair facility. Phase II Site Assessment revealed that the owner had contaminated the soil with spent oil and other hazardous fluids. The area of contamination was significantly large. oil samples revealed critical levels of TPH (160,000ppm up to 3’0 below the surface), Total metals and high levels of lead and barium. A Phase III remediation was conducted resulting in soil levels being substantially below required action levels. The case went to a hearing (which lasted less than one day) and, based on our findings and the remediation of the site, the verdict was in favor of our client.
A law firm in Rhode Island hired me for a case involving an employee who was working installing capstones from the exterior side of a parapet located on the roof of a higher education facility. The employee was tied off, but somehow fell forty (40) to the ground. I was called in by a Providence law firm to investigate the incident. The employee claimed to have unhooked his harness about 1 foot from a gate opening in the wall due to the fact that his lanyard was too short. My findings upon completion of the investigation revealed that he had actually unclipped his harness at least 6+ feet away from the gate, lost his footing and fell to the ground. The conclusion was that the owner had not properly trained the employee in fall protection.