U.S. Steel Corp. faces thousands of dollars in fines over accusations that the company left some of its workers exposed to asbestos.

The federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration announced that it would fine U.S. Steel $170,000 for ten violations of asbestos regulations found at the company’s coke production plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania.

In an August 8 press release, OSHA says that in early February 2016 five workers at the company’s coke production plant were exposed to asbestos because they removed and replaced asbestos-based packing material at the company’s direction.

Then in March, OSHA says, two other employees were directed to burn and remove a section of expansion pipe that later tested positive for asbestos.

Union Complaint Leads to OSHA Investigation

OSHA says it opened an investigation in March 2016, in response to a complaint by the United Steelworkers union. Inspectors then found the ten violations for which the company is now being fined.

The inspection revealed that U.S. Steel failed to “establish a regulated area and inform employees of the presence of asbestos-containing material, conduct initial employee monitoring and ensure a negative exposure assessment, implement specific engineering controls and designate a qualified person to oversee the work and issued [sic] repeat citations.”

OSHA inspectors also found that the company had been using compressed air improperly in maintenance and repair operations, neglected to provide employee training and did not use appropriate methods for containment and disposal.

OSHA says this is the second time it has fined U.S. Steel for asbestos violations since 2011. In that year, the agency fined the company $6,750 for seven violations at the same plaint in Clairton.

“Once again, we have found U.S. Steel Corp. failed to protect its employees from the serious risks of asbestos exposure,” said Christopher Robinson, director of OSHA’s Pittsburgh Area Office.

Robinson noted that workers exposed to asbestos are at risk for lung damage that can progress to disability and possibly death.

“Given the potential danger to the health of its workers, the company must take immediate steps needed to avoid its employees’ prolonged exposure to asbestos,” Robinson said.

U.S. Steel has 15 days from the date of receipt of the citations either to comply, request a conference with the local OSHA area director, or to contest the findings to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

A spokesperson for the company says that it fully cooperated with OSHA’s investigation and is currently reviewing the citations.

Union Says Workers Exposed to Asbestos

Union officials say they alerted U.S. Steel to the possibility that workers could be exposed to asbestos by handling the materials in question. They say the company assured them there was no asbestos present in those materials.

According to Michael Wright, the union’s director of health, safety and environment, asbestos is still present in some older industrial facilities, often found in the insulation surrounding pipes and other equipment.

Wright says that materials containing asbestos are supposed to be labeled as such and left undisturbed, except when proper precautions are taken to prevent asbestos dust from being released into the air.