A UK company has been fined £5000 with additional costs of £3830 for failing to ensure that it’s workers were not at risk of Asbestos exposure.

The company in question failed to have asbestos surveys carried out on the properties that they were working on and no plan had been made to properly deal with any asbestos found, thereby Exposing Workers to Asbestos.

Below is a quote from the article on the HSE website from HSE inspector Phil Nicolle:

“Superior Plumbing’s failure to follow advice, guidance and their own procedures to identify the presence of asbestos and plan for its safe removal has needlessly created a serious long term risk to workers’ health.

Contractors must ensure an asbestos survey has been carried out where a building – or part of it – needs upgrading, refurbishment or demolition.

“The survey must locate and identify all asbestos-containing material before any structural work begins and appropriate arrangements put in place to deal with any asbestos containing materials that are uncovered.

“Around 4,000 people die every year as a result of breathing-in asbestos fibres, making it the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.”

This just highlights how important it is to have an asbestos survey carried out before carrying out any work on a building where the possibility of finding asbestos is a possibility.

So, call in the experts and have an asbestos survey carried out to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you.  We can then set up a management plan and help you through the whole process if asbestos is present.