Firm fined for unlicensed asbestos removal

A company has received a fine after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that it had removed asbestos from a site, despite not being approved to handle the cancer-causing material.

The HSE brought the prosecution against Asbestos Damage Limited (ADL) after workers at the company had removed the carcinogenic fibre from a Hove site in October last year. This was despite the firm failing in its license removal application just three weeks previously.

Brighton Magistrates Court heard that ADL continued to work with asbestos despite the results of a licence renewal interview. That took place in at the beginning of October, 2013, with the HSE finding the firm guilty of 'inadequate performances' in regards to the removal of asbestos previously.

This resulted in the license being refused for renewal.

Despite the decision though, ADL continued to work with and remove the material.

Pleading guilty to breaching asbestos control regulations, ADL was fined a total of £15,000 and handed prosecution costs of £4,000.

Speaking after the verdict was handed down, the HSE inspector on the case, Paul Bodger, said:

“When ADL’s licence expired, the firm should have ceased to carry out any work with asbestos-containing materials that is required by licence. ADL was fully aware of what types of activities are covered and knew perfectly well that it was illegal to undertake the work they did.”

Bodger went on to say that working with asbestos demands a 'high degree' of control, in addition to requiring workers to ensure they are wearing the right personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times.