HSE brings successful prosecution over disturbed asbestos.
Brian Marshall, of Rock Grove, Brighton has been fined over the demolition of a building containing asbestos. The company director from Kemp Town had given orders to a worker to dismantle the building with an excavator even though thorough asbestos checks had not been carried out.
Managing Director of Supply on Demand Ltd, Marshall, admitted to breaking the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 when he appeared before Brighton magistrates. The court was told that during the demolition the asbestos containing material were disturbed.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), carried out an investigation during which they discovered that Marshall had been told about his duty to manage asbestos by Lewis District Council in September 2008. An asbestos refurbishment company had also provided him with a quote in February last year for another project near by.
“Asbestos can be difficult to identify unless you are trained and competent to do so. Before any demolition or dismantling work starts, an assessment must be carried out to establish whether asbestos is present,” says HSE inspector Russell Beckitt. “A survey will tell you whether asbestos is present and what to do about it. Mr Marshall was well aware of the need to carry out an asbestos survey but decided to carry on without one. This is a shocking case of a director who did know better simply ignoring the law.”
The dangerous demolition was carried out between Saturday 7 May and Friday 20 May last year.
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