Prosecution for failure to manage asbestos

A food company and their contractor have been fined a total of £165,000 and ordered to pay £18,000 costs after asbestos was disturbed during building work and only identified by chance when an asbestos removal contractor attended site.

HSE found that the company was undertaking a project to remove tanks from a factory which required the demolition of an external wall. They failed to provide an asbestos survey to enable their contractor to quote and plan appropriately for the work to be undertaken.

When the wall was demolished asbestos insulation board at the top of the wall was unknowingly broken up. A skip of demolition debris was found to contain asbestos insulation board, which had been identified by an asbestos contractor who had been called to site.