WILTON — Often covered in white dust after a day working on demolition at the Forster mill, Kevin Henderson would go home to his wife and children.

So did other workers during the nearly four months they were at the site until they were told to leave the property in July. Work came to a standstill after Occupational Safety and Health Administration testing revealed high levels of  asbestos.

Downeast Construction, the contractor hired for the demolition work, voluntarily shut down until a licensed asbestos remediation contractor could safely remove all asbestos.

The dust has settled, leaving the workers uneasy about their futures and the welfare of their families. Four of nearly a dozen workers are banding together to seek legal representation. They gathered last week to share their story.

Each spoke of their children and the wives who washed their clothes. They described working conditions at the site and told of problems obtaining pay.

After hangars were cut dropping wrapped pipes to the floor, Henderson and Matt Storer wielded knives with bare hands to cut through the wrapping and pull it off so another could cut the pipe into sections with a chain saw and spraying more dust, they said.

When lunchtime came, there was no water to wash their hands before eating. There were also no masks, protective wear or training provided, they said.

The men said they were told by the contractor, Ryan Byther, that the dust was calcium silicate, an insulation substance used for pipes that is a white, free-flowing powder, according to an online OSHA guideline.

Building owner Adam Mack developed Wilton Recycling LLC and hired Downeast Construction to dismantle the site and recycle materials. Their process was presented to the town and and the Department of Environmental Protection and was approved by both, Byther said.

An environmental report noted only a small amount of asbestos in the glued down floor tile on the third floor, he said. He couldn’t say who did the report.

A DEP representative stepped over pipe wrappings but wasn’t concerned, Byther said.

During a July tour of the site when that DEP representative was there on another matter, he was told several times by Byther that the site did not contain asbestos. Noticing the pipe covering on the floor, he asked if it was asbestos and was told no, Samantha DePoy-Warren, DEP spokesman said.

DEP staff had concerns about the site. When these were voiced to the demolition company, they were told someone else in the department had assured Downeast Construction that the site was safe and the demolition approved, she said.

The workers said payroll checks didn’t clear their banks, hurting their credit ratings. When Tom Cook and Ryan Amero asked about pay, they were ordered off the property and threatened with trespass charges and accused of stealing, they said.

“We had problems with payroll. We were working on a lean budget due to thefts,” Byther said.

Byther said he is working with the Department of Labor to document and make sure everyone is paid.

A significant amount of tools and materials were stolen from the site and six thefts in four weeks, Byther said. There have been four thefts of tools, copper and brass since the site was shut down, he said.

“The police were called because they (Cook, Amero and another employee) were harassing, yelling loudly with profanities, threats… circled me in a threatening manner. I called the police to have them keep the peace and ask them to leave,” Byther said.

Police were called to the site several times this summer due to disturbances with employees, interim police Chief Richard Billian said. His reports indicate a substantial amount in scrap metal and tools were taken, about $15,000 worth in one incident. There are other reports, although it has been quiet since the asbestos abatement started, he said.

Byther hired about 20 local employees; less than 10 were left when the work stopped, he said. Only two worked directly with the asbestos, he said.

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