The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Bristol company that exposed its workers to asbestos-containing materials while they were refurbishing a property in the city.

During February and March 2009, inspectors from the HSE visited units at Lawrence Hill Industrial Park, which were being refurbished by Frank Bruce and Company Ltd. The work included removing a large quantity of asbestos insulation board, which was carried out without the company adhering to the statutory safety regulations.

The inspectors found that the units themselves had been contaminated with asbestos, and workers involved in the refurbishment had been exposed to asbestos materials.

On Wednesday (27/01/10) at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, Frank Bruce and Company Ltd of St George in Bristol pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 14 of the Construction (Design and Management) [CDM] Regulations 2007, by failing to appoint a CDM-coordinator or principal contractor for notifiable construction work. The company also pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (10) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations, by failing to review or implement a plan to manage materials containing asbestos.

The court imposed a fine of £18,000 with £6,679 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Sue Adsett said that the company’s decision not to have large quantities of asbestos insulation board removed by licensed contractors before the general refurbishment work began put the workers at risk – and contaminated the site.

‘The work was stopped and the defendant paid to make the site safe – but this doesn’t

change the fact that seven construction workers were exposed to asbestos, which we

know can cause fatal diseases.

‘Landlords and property developers need to be very wary of organising construction

work themselves if they haven’t got appropriate experience of managing health and

safety in building projects.’

The HSE says that around 500,000 buildings built before 2000 might contain asbestos. If the material is managed properly and maintained in good condition, asbestos should not pose a risk. However, some asbestos products, including asbestos insulation boards or asbestos insulation, can only be removed by specially licensed contractors.

The HSE advises that landlords should arrange for Type 3 surveys to be done before any refurbishment or demolition takes place – and this information should be passed on to builders before the works proceed.

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