Two firms in Northamptonshire have been fined after serious failings relating to asbestos were revealed during a routine safety inspection.
Northampton Magistrates’ Court heard how Lifting Systems Ltd had tasked Durasteel Services Ltd with refurbishing an asbestos cement roof at its site in Far Cotton. However, when inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) arrived at the site in October 2013 to assess the work, they found that although asbestos insulation board had been removed, it was being stored on the premises and debris placed in skips around the site. A Prohibition Notice was served to the company immediately to prevent any further work from taking place on the site.
A further investigation took place and discovered that, although it was Lifting Systems Ltd that was the client, the company had actually undertaken much of the refurbishment work, including removing the majority of the old asbestos cement roofing panels. It was found that the company didn’t have an up-to-date asbestos register and further, did not conduct a demolition and refurbishment survey. This survey would have highlighted the areas of asbestos to be taken into account during the refurbishment.
Durasteel Services Ltd failed to conduct an assessment to ascertain the potential for asbestos to be disturbed, the court ruled and as a consequence, had not put effective control measures in place.
Neither company was licensed to remove asbestos, the court heard.
Lifting Systems Ltd, of Far Cotton, Northampton, was fined £14,000 as well as £523 in costs after it admitted to three breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
Durasteel Services Ltd, also of Northampton, was fined £10,000 and £523 in costs after pleading guilty to one breach of the same regulations.
Speaking after the hearing, Sam Russell, HSE Inspector, said: “This case highlights the importance of businesses having strong policies to enable identification of asbestos as part of their normal working practices. The refurbishment work started three months before HSE visited the site, so the risks from asbestos had not been controlled for some time.
“Lifting Systems Ltd made little effort to survey or identify asbestos in the premises before starting work, so failed to identify the presence of asbestos insulation board lining panels underneath the asbestos roofing sheets. The panels were broken up and placed in skips, putting construction workers and other employees at risk of exposure to carcinogenic asbestos fibres. An asbestos survey had been carried out by the previous owners of the premises and highlighted the asbestos which was removed. However, the premises had been derelict for a period of time and the infrastructure had been damaged and vandalised meaning the old survey was not current and fit for purpose and a new one was required.
“Durasteel Services Ltd was complicit in the removal of asbestos insulation board during the refurbishment. The company should have conducted an assessment to see if any work it undertook would have the potential to disturb asbestos materials and taken appropriate action to introduce control measures.”
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