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Asbestos exposure was supposed to be a thing of the past when it was finally banned in 2000. Unfortunately, every week there are new stories of companies failing their employees and the public by not taking the necessary precautions and not following the correct procedures.
Last month, yet another businessman was in Court to answer to a charge involving asbestos. Peter Rees appeared at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court in January after failing to properly handle asbestos in a property he was selling.
Mr. Rees was selling a business unit on Mochdre Business Park in September 2012. The company purchasing the unit commissioned an asbestos survey and this showed a large amount of asbestos insulating board.
The law requires that for the removal of such asbestos products a qualified, licensed asbestos removal contractor must be used. However, Mr. Rees employed a general contractor and, as a result, the asbestos was not handled correctly and asbestos dust was spread inside the building.
After a complaint was raised about the work, a significant clean up operation was undertaken by an authorised contractor.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the complaint and Mr. Rees pleaded guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,400.
Speaking after the hearing Chris Wilcox, a HSE Inspector said;
“The potentially lethal effects of exposure to asbestos are well known…Fortunately, HSE was made aware of the incident before it was reoccupied by the new owners.”
If you think a building may contain asbestos be sure to get it tested, then any asbestos can be dealt with by expert, licensed professionals.