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 Asbestos Negligence
10/9/2008
Fortunately for a lot of British companies, the process of having to employ certain individuals to produce Asbestos Surveys, and have the Asbestos removed, has become more of a thing of the past.
This is mainly due to the fact that some companies have responded to HSE demands by ensuring they are not breaking the law, thus ensuring they no longer need Asbestos work. Alternatively, they have simply neglected their Asbestos responsibilities.
In a recent article featured in the August 2008 SHP (Safety & Health Practitioner), Asbestos neglect caused two firms to pay a total of £264K over asbestos breaches, where the firms were responsible for exposing their workers to materials containing the deadly fibre.
One of the companies pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of HSWA 1974 (fine £100,000) by failing to ensure its employees’ health, and to a breach of Reg.18 of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (fine £50,000), for failing to comply with fire safety regulations. The other company, who were sub-contracted licensed asbestos removers, were fined a total of £70,000 with full costs of £13,821, after it pleaded guilty to breaching Reg.15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (fine £50,000), and reg.7 of these Regulations 2002 (fine £20,000).
These are but mere examples of the implications that neglecting Asbestos can have on businesses, regardless of the size of the company or its whereabouts.
The law is somewhat determined to ensure that negligence is taken very seriously.
If you are concerned that you may be neglecting this issue or may not have taken into consideration areas of Asbestos within your firm, then please contact Envirocare’s Health & Safety Manager, Andrea Beswick.
Tel: 01274 738 668
E: andrea@envirocare.org
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