Company failed to check for dangerous asbestos fibres

Date:

2 June 2010

Release No:

WW794/SWW/10

A Cornwall development company has been fined £4,500 for failing to undertake a survey for the presence of dangerous asbestos fibres at a demolition site in Perranporth.

Norwegian Homes Limited was responsible for demolishing the former Cellar Cover Hotel at Droskyn Point, in Perranporth in July 2006, which was being converted into guesthouses and holiday apartments.

During a visit to the site, inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered suspected asbestos insulation boards underneath a caravan, in polythene sacks and in the ashes of a bonfire. The samples were later confirmed as containing asbestos at the Health and Safety Laboratory.

Truro Magistrates Court heard how there were no measures in place to properly remove the asbestos-containing material, nor were there any protections in place for staff working on the site.

Norwegian Homes of Cligga Head Industrial Estate, St George's Hill, Perranporth pleaded guilty on 26 May 2010 to breaching Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. As well as the fine, the company was also ordered to pay £11,942.85 in costs.

HSE inspector, Martin Lee, said:

"Asbestos is extremely harmful to human health and is the most serious occupational health issue in the country. More than 4,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases.

"Norwegian Homes should have carried out a survey for the presence and quantity of asbestos in the building, prior to demolition.

"This incident was entirely preventable and the clean-up costs far outstripped the costs of a survey and safe removal of the asbestos material."

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Regulation 15 CAWR imposes a duty on every employer to prevent or, where this is not reasonably practicable, reduce to the lowest level reasonably practicable, the spread of asbestos from any place where work under his control is being carried out.
3. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that has been a popular building material since the 1950s. It is used as an insulator (to keep in heat and keep out cold), has good fire protection properties and protects against corrosion.
4. Because asbestos is often mixed with another material, it's hard to know if you're working with it or not. But, if you work in a building built before the year 2000, it's likely that some parts of the building will contain asbestos.
5. Further guidance and advice on health and safety issues relating to asbestos can be found on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos.

Press enquiries

Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR South West