Lack of Asbestos Management Plans Endangers Workers

A cladding installation business owner has been fined £7015 with costs of £3200 after he exposed workers to potentially fatal asbestos fibres.

The owner of the cladding business instructed an employee and a casual to remove and replace soffit boards at a house. However, a survey had not been carried out to determine whether asbestos was present.  He also did’t hold a licence to undertake work with the dangerous material.

He was informed by a neighbour that the soffit boards contained asbestos insulating board before he commenced work, but he carried on regardless.

HSE were informed and the halted the work immediately.  The business owner was aware that the boards could contain asbestos, as he had previous experience with them, however, he did not take this into account when assessing the job. The workers also did not have sufficient training for dealing with the dangerous material.

An HSE inspector said:

“[…] a person running a cladding installation business, should have been in no doubt about the dangers posed by asbestos and of the regulations governing work with this material.

“This incident was entirely preventable and highlights the importance of having a robust asbestos management system in place.

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