A window replacement company in Suffolk has been fined after exposing workers to asbestos fibres during window replacement work at a Bury St Edmunds school.
Frames Conservatories Direct Ltd (FCDL) told Westley Middle school that the asbestos would be removed by a team of registered contractors and correctly disposed of during the 2012 school summer holidays.
Bury St Edmunds Magistrates’ Court however, heard how the company wasn’t licensed to work with the asbestos. Moreover, the employees who carried out the work at the site were not informed that they would be handling asbestos. No control measures had been put in place to prevent the asbestos fibres spreading.
After being made aware of the situation by both the employees of FCDL and the headteacher at the school, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation into the company. The court heard how concerns were first raised when some other contractors observed suspect material in a floor void and spoke with a licensed asbestos contractor who went along to the school. The contractor saw that window panels were being removed and informed the FCDL employees they were working with materials that were likely to contain asbestos. Work immediately ground to a halt at the sites and the area subsequently sealed off.
Frames Conservatories Direct Ltd was fined £24,000 and told to pay £10,571 in prosecution costs after it pleaded guilty to a breach of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
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