Tests show no asbestos concern inside county building where renovations are underway

A concern renovation work on an Oklahoma County building's first floor could expose employees or the public to asbestos was cleared Friday after tests showed no presence of the material.

An administrative hearing set for Friday by Oklahoma's Department of Labor to consider enforcing a $2,500 fine against the county for mishandling the hazardous substance was cancelled.

Work on that $150,000 project, part of a $1.2 million job to remodel the main public reception area for the building at 320 Robert S Kerr, was halted April 23 after Oklahoma County Clerk Maressa Treat contacted Oklahoma's Department of Labor to share her concerns.

Another $6.36 million project remodeling space on the building's fifth floor for Oklahoma County's Court Clerk also was halted.

Treat's most urgent concern involved several of her employees who work in the clerk's historical archives space on the building's first floor, adjacent to where the construction was happening.

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It appeared to her that a temporary plastic barrier built to protect her employees from possible asbestos exposure while the adjacent space is being remodeled was insufficiently sealed, Treat said.

Appropriate precautions needed to be taken, she said.

"We need to not only make sure that our employees are safe, but the general public who comes into our offices," Treat said. "That first floor space is where we house all of our historic, incredibly important documents. We need to make sure those books are protected."

The notice of cancellation for the Department of Labor hearing was delivered Friday to an outside attorney Oklahoma County's Board of County Commissioners hired this week to represent it at the hearing.

Oklahoma's Department of Labor informed the attorney it was withdrawing the complaint based upon air samples taken inside the space on the first floor where demolition was underway, plus an analysis from QuanTEM Laboratories conducted on drywall samples taken from that space.

"ODOL has determined there is no present asbestos hazard or concern to the public or staff from the cited demolition site at the Oklahoma County Courthouse Annex," Don A. Schooler, the labor department's general counsel, wrote, authorizing the work to immediately recommence.

Brian Maughan, chairman of Oklahoma County's Board of County Commissioners, previously had expressed concerns about the order to halt work because the county must meet certain timelines to complete the projects so that it doesn't lose federal dollars paying for the work.

Work on both projects was restarted Friday.

Treat thanked the Department of Labor "for taking the time to inspect the issues in an aging building with asbestos. We feel it’s always important to do our due diligence when it comes to the health and safety of our employees and the public," she said.

"We felt we had done everything right," Commissioner Maughan said Friday. " It is comforting to know the labor commissioner agrees."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County cleared to resume renovations in courthouse annex