Cicero company fined $1.2 million over asbestos

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a Cicero company more than $1.2 million for requiring its workers to remove asbestos without proper training or protection.

The agency said Wednesday that AMD Industries failed to protect workers when it exposed five of them to the material.

Asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer. OSHA says AMD didn’t provide respirators or warn workers about the health risks.

OSHA says a 2002 safety audit commissioned by AMD for its Cicero facility uncovered the presence of asbestos, but the company did not hire experts to remove the material.

Instead, the agency says the company in 2010 began using its own untrained workers to remove the material until regulators found out.

The company did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment.