Cheshire timber firm fined over asbestos breach
A CHESHIRE timber repair firm has been fined £18,000 over the spread of potentially deadly asbestos fibres.
Timberwise (UK) of Rudheath, Northwich which specialises in damp and timber repairs, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE),
Cardiff Magistrates heard that Timberwise was contracted to carry out work in an antiques shop on High Street in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan in July last year.
The company sent employees to work on the site to survey and strip out parts of the building affected by damp and wood rot, without checking for the presence of asbestos.
None of the workers had received sufficient information, instruction or training in asbestos awareness or removal and Timberwise did not have a licence to remove or handle asbestos containing materials.
Asbestos insulation boards were removed in a back room by one of the workers and the ceiling was demolished. The uncontrolled removal of the asbestos boards and demolition work caused the disturbance and spread of potentially deadly asbestos fibres.
Instead of arranging for the proper disposal of the asbestos, the dust was swept into rubble bags and dumped in a skip lorry, along with the asbestos insulation boards. The asbestos material was immediately identified at the waste transfer site and was collected by Timberwise and left in the backyard of the shop.
The Health and Safety Executive was contacted by the owners of the building and a licensed removal company was brought in to undertake a full environmental clean of the building.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Steve Richardson said: “This incident was entirely preventable and would not have happened if Timberwise had provided adequate information, instruction and training to its staff.
“The company had no procedures to check for the presence of asbestos and, as a result, has put the health of its workers and the shopowners at risk of potentially fatal asbestos-related lung diseases.”
Timberwise (UK) of Gadbrook Park, was ordered to pay £5,314 in prosecution costs in addition to the £18,000 fine.
