![PP Construction Safety logo and link to home page [1]](http://www.ppconstructionsafety.com/wp-content/themes/ppcs960/images/ppcslogo.jpg)
Failure to use licensed asbestos remover ends in hefty fine
Principal contractor Mansell Build Ltd (previously Birse Build Ltd) of Cheshire has been ordered to pay £25k in fines and prosecution costs after engaging an unlicensed contractor to remove asbestos insulating board ceilings at a Rotherham school in 2006.
The company contracted to carry out the work, ARB Agriplant Ltd, did not have a licence. Andrew Brightmore, a former manager of ARB Agriplant Ltd was fined £2.5k and Gary Cusack was fined £500 at Rotherham Magistrates’ Court.
All involved failed to implement basic requirements to prevent the spread and exposure to asbestos to both those removing the materials and to others working at the school at the time.
Following the incident ARB Agriplant Ltd provided a forged asbestos licence and a falsified clearance certificate to Mansell Build Ltd, claiming that the work had been undertaken by a licensed contractor and that the area was free from asbestos.
HSE inspector David Bradley said: “the contractors responsible put others in a dangerous situation, which could have been avoided had the work been carried out by a licensed contractor. Asbestos is the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK, which is why there are strict rules in place to prevent exposure. HSE has published a wealth of advice for employers to help them reduce the risks associated with asbestos.”