Asbestos exposure costs Rochdale manufacturer £8,000

A manufacturing company and contractor have been fined £8,000 after they failed to prevent exposure of asbestos to workers while cleaning an asbestos cement roof.

Rochdale-based manufacturer Carter Brothers had contracted Frank Allan (trading as Jet Blast and Maintenance) to clean their premises - part of which was the asbestos cement roof. However, it was heard at Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court that the work was unnecessary and had not been agreed with the property’s landlord prior to the job.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that sufficient measures were not in place to prevent workers being exposed to asbestos when an industrial high pressure jet washer was used to clean a fragile asbestos roof. As a result, asbestos fibres were found in debris around the premises.

It was also found that Carter Brothers did not hire a suitable contractor, and they did not monitor or supervise the work that was being carried out. If the roof work was needed, it should have been carried out by a specialist contractor who had access to the cleaning equipment required.

Carter Brothers (Rochdale) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £8,000 with costs of £3,913.94.

Frank Allan pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 6 and 11 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and was fined £330 with £3910.94 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Lisa Bailey said:

“The case highlights the importance of following the advice and guidance that is freely available from HSE to prevent the risk of exposure to asbestos to members of the public and workers.

Asbestos can cause serious diseases and still kills around 5,000 workers per year. If the appropriate control measures had been taken then workers and members of the public would not have been put at risk”

BLS Asbestos are a specialist asbestos removal contractor, with over 20 years experience.

To discuss your commercial or domestic asbestos removal requirements, or for information on our other related health & safety services, call BLS Asbestos on 01484 400558 or contact us via the website.


Published: 20th February 2018

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