Bradford on Avon builder admits asbestos breach (From Wiltshire Times)

Bradford on Avon builder admits asbestos breach

6:00pm Friday 10th February 2012 in Latest News

A building firm in Bradford on Avon has been given a £7,000 fine after admitting removing an asbestos insulation board from a house in an unsafe manner.

Chippenham Magistrates’ Court heard the removal was carried out while DB Construction (West Wilts), of Frome Road, revamped a home in November and December, 2010.

An electrician, also working on the house, raised concerns that ceiling boards could contain asbestos and the materials were analysed.

The Health and Safety Executive found the boards contained white and the more hazardous brown asbestos. It said DB Construction failed to investigate the site prior to work starting and stored the boards and debris in open bags in the garden, breaching safety rules.

HSE inspector Helena Tinton said: “Work with materials containing higher risk asbestos, including asbestos insulation board, is a licensed activity with work only carried out by trained people under tightly controlled conditions.

“DB Construction should have been aware of this and yet these ceiling boards were removed in an uncontrolled manner over a period of several hours, which resulted in the spread of airborne asbestos fibres inside and outside the property, leaving workers and the householders at risk of exposure.”

DB Construction admitted brea-ching Regulation 5 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and was fined £7,000, plus £3,617.50 in costs.