A Dorset building contractor has been fined £5,000 after being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at Guildford Magistrates’ Court for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations between 20 April and 1 May 2011.
The court heard on 30 April that the contractor had been hired to demolish a house in Woking, Surrey, in preparation for new ground-works. He had received an Asbestos Management Survey from the previous owner, commissioned after a plumber refused to repair the boiler due to asbestos concerns.
The survey revealed 12 metres of asbestos in poor condition, with two out of three areas classified as ‘high risk’. It stated: ‘This material is in very poor condition and debris now exists around the boiler and the floor within the rest of the room. This room must not be accessed until a full environmental clean and removal of all asbestos-containing materials have been carried out by a licensed asbestos contractor.’
The report further emphasised that removal had to occur under controlled conditions using ‘enclosures, airlocks, negative pressure units, and decontamination units.’
Despite this, the builder proceeded to demolish the property without conducting a pre-demolition survey on the entire site to ensure all asbestos was identified and safely removed.
The HSE launched an investigation after a scientific officer from Woking Borough Council visited the site and raised concerns about potential asbestos contamination. The builder pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. In addition to the fine, he was ordered to pay £7,500 in costs.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Russell Beckett commented, “Before any demolition work is undertaken, a survey must be carried out to identify any asbestos present and prevent exposure to anyone working on site and to those who subsequently process the waste. Any asbestos must be removed in the correct manner. Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK and the dangers are well known in the construction and property industries. Asbestos is not an historical threat. It is current and it faces tradesmen all the time. This man has risked his own health and the health of others who were on the site.”
Every year, approximately 4,000 people in the UK die due to asbestos fibre inhalation, making it the largest single cause of work-related deaths in the country.
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