Council forced to pay fine after exposing workers to asbestos

The council employed a number of workers, including joiners, to carry out refurbishments on the school back in 2007. Their work involved cutting through doors and this unsettled the asbestos core inside of them. During court proceedings it came to light that the council had carried out a survey of the building which identified the presence of asbestos in the doors, but that they had not sufficiently communicated their findings to either the school or the workers. As a result 14 employees were potentially exposed to the harmful substance.

It can take up to 30 years for the effects of exposure to asbestos to become apparent and every year in Britain around 4,000 people die as a result of contact with the substance. In May 2004 legislation was established which requires the organisation in control of any non domestic premises to identify and assess asbestos in those premises.

The HSE recently re-launched its 'Asbestos: the hidden killer' campaign in order to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos. Commenting on this case, HSE inspector Mike Orr said: "As this case demonstrates, those most likely to be at risk from asbestos are tradesmen. Every week, 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma - an incurable cancer. This case should serve as a warning to property owners or those who manage buildings to ensure they have robust arrangements in place to manage the risks from asbestos."

Agreeing with the HSE, Don MacIntyre, General Manager at Hodgins Smith Consulting, says: “Breathing asbestos fibres can lead to potentially fatal asbestos-related diseases. It is essential that all companies who come into contact with asbestos make their employees aware of the risks of working with asbestos. Our 2 hour seminar covers exactly this, and can be completed by anybody with internet access. Training staff to be aware of the dangers of working with as dangerous a substance as asbestos can help them work safely which will save companies valuable time and money.”

Hodgins Smith Consulting in addition to practical training now offer up to 20 E-Learning titles, including Asbestos Awareness training, which is essential for organisations working within premises containing asbestos.

For further information, please call us today on 01292 678484 or e-mail info@hodginssmithcdm.co.uk