Authored by: Candace Whitman

The workers who helped clean up after the disastrous coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Powerplant in 2008 will be given the opportunity to prove that their illnesses were caused by their exposure to the coal ash. In November 2018, a federal jury ruled that Jacobs Engineering was reckless and endangered the health of their workers during the clean-up.

According to American Legal News, 30 workers involved in the clean-up have died and hundreds were ill as of September 2018 with skin diseases, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases that are known to be caused by exposure to the contaminants in coal ash.

The workers said that they were lied to about the risk of exposure to coal ash contaminants. They were not given masks to wear while working and were told they would be fired if they wore safety equipment of their own.

Now that a jury has ruled that Jacobs Engineering endangered the health of their employees, the second part of the trial will begin in 2019. Each effected worker will be questioned about their lifestyle to determine if their illness was caused by the coal ash and if they are entitled to compensation.

To read more about this case, click here to read American Legal News’ article.