Two Midlands companies and a site manager have been prosecuted following an asbestos disturbance at a Cannock demolition site, which put workers and members of the public at serious risk.<\/p>\n
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation after unsafe demolition work at Greenheath Road, Cannock, was reported in September 2023.<\/p>\n
Inspectors found that demolition had been halted only after asbestos-containing materials, totalling 218m\u00b2, were uncovered.<\/p>\n
Despite an asbestos management survey being carried out before work began, Sohan Group, the project client, and demolition contractor Maize Metals continued demolition without proper planning or oversight.<\/p>\n
Rather than appointing a licensed contractor to remove the asbestos, Sohan Group appointed Disa Properties, led by site manager Ali Raza Baig, who lacked the necessary licence and competence. Baig failed to ensure appropriate measures were in place to prevent exposure to harmful asbestos fibres.<\/p>\n
HSE Inspector Rob Gidman said: \u201cAsbestos is a Class 1 carcinogen which is known to kill around 20 tradespeople each week due to past exposure. By failing to ensure the demolition was properly planned and managed, considering the presence of asbestos on site, these companies and Mr Baig put workers and members of the public at risk of being exposed to a substance known to cause fatal lung disease.”<\/p>\n
HSE guidance under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 requires employers to commission a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey and ensure any identified asbestos is either left undisturbed or removed by a licensed contractor under controlled conditions.<\/p>\n
At Birmingham Magistrates\u2019 Court on 6 March 2026, Sohan Group pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined \u00a374,900, with costs of \u00a33,658.14 and a \u00a32,000 statutory surcharge.<\/p>\n
Maize Metals pleaded guilty to similar breaches and was fined \u00a313,400, with costs of \u00a31,359.51 and a \u00a32,000 statutory surcharge.<\/p>\n
Ali Raza Baig was sentenced to 26 weeks\u2019 imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to follow a three-month electronically monitored curfew. He also received a five-year director disqualification and must pay \u00a35,899 in costs and a \u00a3154 statutory surcharge.<\/p>\n
Gidman continued: “This case should serve as a reminder to those engaged in demolition and refurbishment work that they have responsibilities when it comes to managing the risks associated with asbestos.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two companies and a site manager have been prosecuted after failing to manage asbestos at a Cannock demolition site<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266702,"featured_media":2109360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120902],"coauthors":[127717],"class_list":["post-2109359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal","tag-featured-story","tag-staffordshire"],"yoast_head":"\n