Asbestos exposure news
03/06/2011

Contractor prosecuted after workers are exposed to asbestos

A 47-year-old man has been prosecuted for exposing workers to asbestos with the subsequent risk of them contracting an industrial disease.

The man was working as a contractor when he was employed to remove materials which contained asbestos from a demolition site in Derby.

The man had been provided with a survey outlining where the asbestos was located. The survey specified that a licensed contractor was required to carry out some of the work due to the dangers of asbestos exposure, which is known to cause mesothelioma.

Despite assuring the principal contractors on the site that he was capable, the man was not sufficiently licensed. He sought help from two of his employees as well as two men he knew socially but did not share the survey with them or remain on site to supervise the work.

The men were exposed to asbestos twice during the process as they put the stripped material in an open skip before moving it into a sealed skip.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation discovered that no risk assessment had been carried out before work started and the safety equipment provided was unsuitable.

It was also revealed that the site remained contaminated by asbestos despite the removal work.
The man pleaded guilty to breaching several regulations in the Health and Safety at Work Act and for numerous safety failings. He was ordered to serve 300 hours of community service and to pay costs of £500.

The HSE inspector said, "The health effects to all these men may not be known for decades as the life-threatening conditions that asbestos exposure can lead to can take a long time to develop."

If any of the men go on to develop an asbestos-related disease they may be able to make a claim for industrial disease compensation.