HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii union says it has filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency over reports of unsafe working conditions after discovering mold at a Waikiki hotel that’s under construction.
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii union says it has filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency over reports of unsafe working conditions after discovering mold at a Waikiki hotel that’s under construction.
Kyle Chock of the Hawaii Carpenters Union said that testing has uncovered “toxic black mold” at the Maile Sky Court Hotel, which is undergoing a $20 million renovation. The union also filed complaints this week with the Hawaii health department and the city.
“What we found here was very disturbing. We conducted testing with an independent certified laboratory that tested the drywall. They found the presence of toxic black mold on four floors in the Sky Court,” Chock told KITV-TV.
The reports of mold come after state regulators raided the hotel Monday to investigate claims that the project is using unlicensed contractors and workers who are in the country illegally. The state is also working with the federal government to determine whether the project contractor has provided all required worker benefits and protections.
“We hope they are being held accountable to the standard that all law abiding companies who do business in Hawaii are held to,” said Chock.
Donald Selby, the owner of Selby Construction, maintains that the company is operating in line with state law.
Efforts by KITV-TV to reach the property owner, ClearView Hotel Capitol, were unsuccessful.