Compliant Asbestos Management

Compliant Asbestos Hot Topic with Mass Services

Fines in excess of £25,000 have been handed out to three contractors who removed asbestos from a Rotherham special school without a licence. The firms were successfully prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and all pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, after carrying out the unlicensed removal at Kelford School in 2006.

Mansell Build Ltd, the principal contractor, was employed to remove asbestos insulating board ceilings at the school. But it contracted out ARB Agriplant Ltd to do the work, despite it not being licensed by the HSE. ARB Agriplant then in turn subcontracted the work to Gary Cusack – another unlicensed contractor.

All contractors failed to implement basic requirements to prevent the spread and exposure to asbestos. After the hearing in September, Mansell Build Ltd of Cheshire, was fined £12,500 and ordered to pay £12,500 costs. Andrew Brightmore, a former manager of ARB Agriplant Ltd, was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £500 costs. Gary Cusack, was also fined £500 and ordered to pay £250 costs.

Following the incident, ARB Agriplant Ltd also provided a forged asbestos licence and a falsified clearance certificate to Mansell Build Ltd.

HSE inspector David Bradley said: "those responsible for employees have a legal duty to protect their health and safety and in the case of asbestos they should know that any disturbance of such a dangerous material should only be tackled by licensed workers.

"The contractors responsible put others in a dangerous situation, which could have been avoided had the work been carried out by a licensed contractor."

Mass Services provides the complete Asbestos Management solutions to our clients to ensure that Asbestos is effectively and safely managed.

For further information relating to Mass Services’ Asbestos Management please contact Mass on 0118 977 8560 or email info@mass-services.com.