View all news articles
Hefty fines follow asbestos failings
Two companies have been prosecuted after workers were exposed
to potentially deadly asbestos fibres at a mill in Bolton.
The Health &
Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Hazelwise Ltd and RH Property
Management Ltd after finding dozens of damaged asbestos boards
stacked up at Brownlow Mill during a visit on 20 October
2010.
Manchester Crown Court heard on Friday (24 August 2012) that
neither company had put a plan in place to manage the asbestos in
the mill on Tennyson Street, where several small businesses rent
units.
HSE became aware of the issue when a contractor on the site
raised concerns that asbestos insulation boards had been stripped
out of unoccupied floors at the mill, releasing deadly asbestos
fibres into the air.
Inspectors issued two prohibition notices banning the removal of
tools and other items from four floors of the mill in case they had
become contaminated with asbestos fibres, and preventing access to
the floors.
They also found that asbestos was present in other parts of the
mill, occupied by tenants, but nothing had been done to protect it
and make sure it was safe.
Hazelwise Ltd, of Mauldeth Avenue in Chorlton, was fined £40,000
and ordered to pay £8,969 in prosecution costs. RH Property
Management Ltd, of Greek Street in Stockport, was fined £15,000 and
with costs of £11,011.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Philip Strickland
said: "Workers at Brownlow Mill have been exposed to potentially
deadly fibres because neither company did anything to find out
where asbestos was on the site.
"It is a legal requirement for owners and letting agents of
commercial properties to carry out an assessment as to whether
asbestos is present in a building, and what action is needed to
keep it safe.
"If employers don't take the risks from asbestos seriously, then
thousands of people will continue to die in the UK every year as a
result of breathing in asbestos fibres."
For the full story click here
View all news articles