Firm fined £10,000 for exposing workers to asbestos risk
10:29 - 29/06/2011
Firm fined £10,000 for exposing work...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have prosecuted a refurbishment company after they exposed two workers to materials containing potentially deadly asbestos fibres.
John Todd Ltd, based in Middletown, Powys, were ordered to pay a £10,000 fine as well as an additional £10,000 to cover court costs after they pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Shrewsbury Magistrate’s court heard how the company had been commissioned to refurbish a building on an estate in Oswestry in October 2010. Licensed asbestos removal contractors arrived at the site on 18th October only to find that the director of the company, John Todd, and two self-employed workers had already begun to remove the substance.
Inspectors from the HSE visited the site and order all work to cease immediately due to the potential health risks. It was discovered that John Todd Ltd had neglected to put in place the safety precautions that would have prevented the spread of the deadly asbestos fibres. Materials, such as insulation boards, timber studding and broken floor tiles, containing broken fragments of asbestos, had been removed and placed into an exposed skip.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Nic Rigby said: “It is well known throughout the industry that exposure to asbestos fibres can cause premature death, yet this company chose to expose its workers to this risk.
“The court recognised the severity of this appalling situation today. Exposure to asbestos can kill and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action against anyone found to have worked unsafely with the materials.”
Asbestos remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK, and is responsible for an estimated 4,000 deaths every year. First Response Training can provide a 3-hour special focus course on Asbestos Awareness which provides delegates with background knowledge on the hazards related to asbestos, the diseases which can result from exposure to it, and how the law has addressed this risk. Content includes the relevant legislation and the duty to manage asbestos.
First Response can also offer an online training option for Asbestos Awareness. Pete Stock, Business Development & E-learning Account Manager for First Response, says: “Anyone who may come into contact with asbestos, or asbestos-containing materials, during their work should be made fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions that they need to take. This can be achieved through completion of our short awareness e-learning course which takes just 30 minutes and includes a checklist and self test.
“Breathing asbestos fibres can lead to many potentially fatal diseases, so the importance of training should never be underestimated.”
For more information about First Response Training’s Asbestos Awareness courses, either through direct provision or e-learning, please call free phone 0800 310 2300 today.
John Todd Ltd, based in Middletown, Powys, were ordered to pay a £10,000 fine as well as an additional £10,000 to cover court costs after they pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Shrewsbury Magistrate’s court heard how the company had been commissioned to refurbish a building on an estate in Oswestry in October 2010. Licensed asbestos removal contractors arrived at the site on 18th October only to find that the director of the company, John Todd, and two self-employed workers had already begun to remove the substance.
Inspectors from the HSE visited the site and order all work to cease immediately due to the potential health risks. It was discovered that John Todd Ltd had neglected to put in place the safety precautions that would have prevented the spread of the deadly asbestos fibres. Materials, such as insulation boards, timber studding and broken floor tiles, containing broken fragments of asbestos, had been removed and placed into an exposed skip.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Nic Rigby said: “It is well known throughout the industry that exposure to asbestos fibres can cause premature death, yet this company chose to expose its workers to this risk.
“The court recognised the severity of this appalling situation today. Exposure to asbestos can kill and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action against anyone found to have worked unsafely with the materials.”
Asbestos remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK, and is responsible for an estimated 4,000 deaths every year. First Response Training can provide a 3-hour special focus course on Asbestos Awareness which provides delegates with background knowledge on the hazards related to asbestos, the diseases which can result from exposure to it, and how the law has addressed this risk. Content includes the relevant legislation and the duty to manage asbestos.
First Response can also offer an online training option for Asbestos Awareness. Pete Stock, Business Development & E-learning Account Manager for First Response, says: “Anyone who may come into contact with asbestos, or asbestos-containing materials, during their work should be made fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions that they need to take. This can be achieved through completion of our short awareness e-learning course which takes just 30 minutes and includes a checklist and self test.
“Breathing asbestos fibres can lead to many potentially fatal diseases, so the importance of training should never be underestimated.”
For more information about First Response Training’s Asbestos Awareness courses, either through direct provision or e-learning, please call free phone 0800 310 2300 today.
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