Bradford Firm Fined after Improper Asbestos Removal

After an asbestos removal operation was conducted in an unsafe manner, a construction firm from Bradford-on-Avon has been fined. Both workers and residents on site were put at great risk of dangerous exposure to asbestos fibres.

The incident occurred during the refurbishment of a house in Bradford that took place between 29 November and 10 December 2010.

An AIB ceiling was being removed in a way that was unsafe, leaving the employees, subcontractors who were working on the job and the homeowners at risk to the direct exposure of potentially lethal asbestos fibres.

As soon as an electrician raised an alarm that asbestos might be present in the ceiling analysis took place, finding both white and brown asbestos to be present and halting the removal of the ceiling.

D B Construction (West Wilts) Ltd should have investigated the building for the presence of asbestos during their planning stage of the operation.

Asbestos Removal Unsafe

The HSE found that once work had begun on the project subcontractors had failed to identify the material and continued to break up the ceiling boards; releasing asbestos fibres into the air. Once removed they were left in open bags in the garden, in clear breach of safety regulations. The whole asbestos removal project was conducted haphazardly and with no thought to the safety of those around them.

Helena Tinton of the HSE said:

“Asbestos is widely known to be a hazardous material and asbestos fibre exposure is linked to a number of serious diseases, including cancer and scarring of the lungs. As such, work with materials containing higher risk asbestos, including asbestos insulation board, is a licensed activity with work only carried out by trained people under tightly controlled conditions.

“As a building contractor engaged in refurbishment work, D B Construction should have been aware of this and yet these ceiling boards were removed in an uncontrolled manner over a period of several hours, which resulted in the spread of airborne asbestos fibres inside and outside the property, leaving workers and the family at risk of exposure.”

D B Construction (West Wilts) Ltd were fined £7,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,617.50.

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Asbestosis or mesothelioma can have a negative impact on sufferers and their families for the rest of their lives. Although asbestos has been a banned substance within the construction industry over the last decade, cases continue to arise all around the country.

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