TUC Risks 16th August reported that two companies in Essex have been fined after workers in their employment were exposed to asbestos containing materials.
R Maskell Ltd of Loughton was fined £150,000 with costs of £30,000 at Ipswich Crown Court while LCH Contracts Ltd of Billericay was fined £70,000 and costs of £13,821.
Both companies pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.
In 2005 R Maskell was carrying out refurbishment work and had, after discovering asbestos, sub-contracted LCH Contracts to carry out asbestos removal at St Francis Tower, Ipswich.
When HSE inspectors visited the site to inspect asbestos removal work taking place, they became very concerned over the state of the building, as there was debris on floors and in black sacks on most floors of the 15 storey tower block and some appeared to be asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
The HSE investigation found the building to be contaminated with ACMs and evidence was found that asbestos insulation board (AIB) had not been removed following adequate safety procedures.
HSE Inspector, Nicola Surrey said, "Every year 1000 people who worked in building maintenance and repair trades die from past exposures to asbestos fibres. The exposure of employees from R Maskell Ltd and LCH Contracts Ltd to asbestos could and should have been avoided by straightforward safety precautions. HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way. Asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from asbestos diseases in the future. If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it. HSE has provided guidance to help people understand what they have to do to comply with their legal obligations."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment