Asbestos, Lead and Mold Abatement Workers, Laborers International Union, Local 67

Organized Labor

Luis Gomez, Supervisor, Restec Contractors Inc
When we go to the job we try to get everybody on the same page. It is a matter of working with the general contractor and the industrial hygienists. The hygienists are the ones who note all the hazards and make sure the work is done properly and safely. The main trick is talking to people. It is all about communication. I watch everything that goes on during the day, and if they are doing something hazardous, I bring it up at the next meeting and explain the hazards to the other crafts working on the project. Most people don't know how some of the tools in our trade are supposed to be used. The vacuum is probably the hardest one. The trick is not how to use the actual machine, but the procedures they have to follow to get out every particle of dust on the floor. The inspectors take air samples, and if they find particles, the job won't get the final clearance, and no one wants to have to clean it up all over again. My cousin got me into the trade. I was working in the fields in Fresno, and he explained there would be more opportunity in this type of work than in farm work. Now everywhere I go, I pass by places I've helped clean up.