Demolition Firm Prosecuted for Asbestos Health and Safety Breach
A demolition firm has been prosecuted after it exposed employees to dangerous asbestos fibres. Walsh Plant Hire and Demolition Contractors Limited ignored several warnings regarding the removal of asbestos on its work site, a Health and Safety Investigation found.
A Prohibition Notice had been served to the company as early as February 2010, as work involving asbestos cement sheeting debris could have posed serious health risks to workers. The company had also been ordered to produce an appropriate plan to ensure the safe removal of the dangerous materials.
However, a further visit to the site three months later found that the contractor had failed to adhere to those guidelines. This negligence put workers in danger as they could have been contaminated by asbestos cement fragments following the use of excavators.
“The company was well aware of what it should have done to ensure the health of its workers and others when working with asbestos-containing materials at the site. HSE had taken previous enforcement action to ensure the company had a plan of work to manage the asbestos material safely. This plan was prepared but then ignored by the company,” HSE Inspector Phil Nicolle revealed.
Walsh Plant Hire and Demolition Contractors Limited were subsequently fined £5,000 and told to pay costs amounting to £6,828 after pleading guilty to breaches of the 2006 Control of Asbestos Regulations.
