State regulators have slapped the owners of The Read House with $4,500 in fines for failing to adequately protect workers and guests from asbestos exposure during the ongoing renovation of the downtown hotel.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), which launched a probe last fall into complaints that construction work was being done improperly, disclosed Thursday its findings and penalties against the hotel owners.
In response to an Open Records request by the Times Free Press, TOSHA documents show the hotel was cited for 12 violations, 11 of which were categorized as serious. The hotel is being fined a total of $4,500 for three of the violations, and the others do not include a fine.
TOSHA said workers were not adequately protected and supervised for demolition and construction work at the 92-year-old hotel, which was built on the site of the historic Crutchfield House that dates back to the Civil War.
The 241-room hotel, like many older buildings, used asbestos for insulation. Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer and is banned in more than 50 countries.