In my opinion, the company he was employed by is responsible. It is their responsibility to provide a safe working environmemt and make sure exits were open and available in case they were needed.

You could at the very least report the locked doors to the fire chief and the owner would be fined. Your coworker wouldn’t get that money, but it would be some kind of justice.

The asbestos removal company takes full responsibility in this case. the school hired the removal company. the removal company either designed the project or used a consultants design. they also have a full state/osha guideline for proper procedures for asbestos removal and general safety. they have full ownership of the project and the safety on the job site. The asbestos removal company is responsibile for their workers safety.

You need a lawyer’s advice. But, locked emergency doors and a fire does not bode well.

So all these lawyers are telling you the same thing, but you don’t like that answer so you’re asking the “experts” here? Smart.

You don’t say what type of “accident” he had specifically. All I can get from this is that there was a fire and all the doors were locked.
If that’s the case, then yes, the owner of the building, the employer also, can be sued.