Asbestos removal under health and safety guidelines is imperative
A firm in Warwickshire has learned the consequences of not following proper asbestos removal. The contractor put workers at risk due to exposure to asbestos. The company, AG&M, has been fined for not maintaining proper health and safety at work. The incident happened in 2011 on routine health and safety audits of the HSE. The HSE visited the company only to find that asbestos was being removed without following proper standards. The staff did not have respiratory masks. They were also not trained properly for the work.
The workers could not shower off the asbestos before leaving work because the pipe was frozen. This created definite issues that could lead to health problems for those working at the site. Daily inspection records of the work showed that there was a damaged vent, broken door, and the shower could not be used properly, but no one at the company did anything about correcting the issues. The court heard about the removal of the asbestos, how the HSE inspector visited, and how they found no water supply in the shower. They were also told that the water pipe could have been defrosted to make it work properly to reduce exposure risk. The fact is the company failed to take any of the proper measures. This is why they were fined £10,000 and an additional £5,300 for court costs. Situations such as this should not happen particularly when the risks are known.
Mitchell Winter
