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Fines totalling £1m for construction companies after workers exposed to asbestos

Three companies have been fined a total of more than £1m after workers were exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in Waltham Forest.

Southwark Crown Court heard that on 24 July 2012 a worker removed part of a suspended ceiling in one of the ground floor refurbished rooms at St Mary’s school and identified suspect asbestos containing materials. Asbestos fibres were subsequently found in numerous areas in the school.

The court heard that the London Borough of Waltham Forest had a contract with NPS London Limited to manage development and refurbishment of its estate. At the time of the incident the Principal Contractor for the work was Mansell Construction Services (aka Balfour Beatty) and the subcontractor was Squibb Group Limited.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that although an asbestos survey was completed, there were multiple caveats and disclaimers which were not appropriately checked.

Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited (previously Mansell Construction Services Limited) of Canary Wharf, London was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £32,364.84 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

NPS London Limited, of Business Park Norwich, Norfolk was fined £370,000 and ordered to pay £32,364.84 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Squibb Group Limited, of Stanford Le Hope, Essex was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £175,000 after being found guilty after a trial of a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said “The principal contractor and contractors on site did not review the survey report in detail, and did not take into consideration the multitude of caveats.

“Therefore the work undertaken did not adopt the high standards of control expected for working where there was the potential to expose workers to asbestos.”

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Watch out for asbestos when tackling the housing crisis

As the drive to build more new homes in Britain gathers pace, the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) has launched two new courses in April aimed at those developing the brownfield sites that will play a significant role in solving the housing crisis: Asbestos in Soils Awareness and Asbestos in Soils.

The UK is short of housing and with three million new homes needed by 2030, Prime Minister Theresa May has targeted building a million homes by 2020. Greenfield building is mired in controversy, so the key will be brownfield redevelopment and asbestos in soils training will be an essential requirement.

“A million homes is a tall order and those tasked with the development of sites with former industrial use are going to need awareness of asbestos in soils, which these major new courses aim to address,” said UKATA General Manager Craig Evans. “Architects and other such professionals may require the more developed course, but the core syllabus of each will be of great use to all involved in brownfield projects.”

The white paper, Fixing our broken housing market published on 7 February set out government plans to boost new home supply and received a mixed response. Despite calls to give the greenlight to greenbelt building, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed restrictions on greenbelt building would remain; leaving brownfield central to government plans – and that is going to need specialist training.

Training courses

Asbestos in Soils Awareness is for those working on brownfield sites. The course will assist employers in meeting legal obligations; highlighting how to avoid risks from Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in soil: in both planned work and emergencies. Providing the theoretical skills to undertake work on sites with ACMs; Asbestos in Soils delivers an understanding of actions that must be taken in the event notifiable and/or non-notifiable ACMs are identified and explains the emergency procedures to be implemented in the event of on-site ACM in soils.

“Developers claim brownfield alone can’t solve the housing crisis, but the government position means asbestos in soils courses are a necessity,” added Craig. “Personnel need asbestos in soils awareness to undertake their roles safely, coupled with an understanding of the key asbestos regulations and how they fit the broader context of health and safety legislation.

Those successfully completing these courses will have awareness of the nature and properties of asbestos in soils, its effects on health and know how to avoid the risks from soils and made ground containing ACMs and how to work and stay safe.”

Anyone interested in the new course should contact UKATA direct for a list of training providers.

Tasked by the HSE in 2008 for taking-on, managing and developing the list of training providers for licensed asbestos work in the UK, UKATA is now the leading authority in all levels of asbestos training in the UK. For further information on UKATA, visit www.ukata.org.uk.

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Cembrit B5 the alternative to old asbestos roofs

Gorsgoch village hall benefits from Cembrit B5, the versatile and aesthetically pleasing, modern fibre cement corrugated sheets. The material has been used to transform a 60 year old village hall and improve the roof’s performance through its superior water shedding capacity when compared with the old 3″ profile.

A village near Lampeter in the county of Ceredigion, Wales is developing at a high rate and is currently seeing increase in planning applications and new housing developments. Located at the heart of the Gorsgoch, the village hall is the main community building in the area and provides the local community with a common meeting place. After being closed for a number of years, the village hall required a refurbishment. In particular, the narrow asbestos cement corrugated sheet needed to be replaced with a durable and attractive looking roof. Local contractor, Jeff Thomas worked on this project, and Huw Davies from Pensaer HD Architect specified Cembrit’s B5 corrugated sheet.

“The durable and low maintenance credentials of Cembrit’s B5 corrugated sheet made it ideal for use on this project,” comments Huw Davies from Pensaer HD Architect. “Cembrit’s robust onsite service options and the technical support representatives were of great use on this project. The team were extremely helpful, assisting me with all of my enquiries. This has helped to make the project a success.”

Natural grey coated B5 corrugated sheets have provided a spectacular finish that blends in well with the countryside setting. The contractor installed a Plain Wing Angle Ridge to provide sufficient ventilation.

The rust and rot free B5 Corrugated Sheet is the perfect solution for someone looking to clad or repair single-story buildings such as stables and garages. B5 is available in fourteen different lengths ranging from 4′ to 10′ 6″ the sheets are approximately 40% wider than traditional 3″ profile which allows for much better coverage per sheet. They also offer superior water shedding capacity due to the profile of its corrugations.

B5 offers numerous advantages that are helpful for the installer. B5 sheets have a small overlap, and as sheets are approximately 40% wider than comparative products, so it offers a much better coverage per sheet. This has the advantage of decreasing the weight of the roof covering. There is less side lap and overhang, and increased maximum end lap. B5 can be laid to a 5° pitch for small roof areas if the end laps are extended to 300mm and are double sealed with mastic strips. A number of accessories come with the B5. A one-piece close fitting Cranked Crown ridge that can fit into roof pitches, two-piece lose fitting ridge which is adjustable to roof pitches and the Plain Wing Angle ridge that can create high level ventilation. Also there is the Cemsix Barge Board which is used to close verges at gable ends and the one-piece and two-piece Roll Top Finial which forms an integral part of closing a verge apex.

For further information, please visit www.cembrit.co.uk. Follow us on Twitter at @CembritUK and Facebook at Cembrit UK.
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