Primary School Pupils and Staff Exposed to Asbestos During Renovations
Following refurbishments to kitchen facilities at a primary school in Bristol, a building site supervisor has been fined after taking action which exposed young pupils and school staff to asbestos.
In 2023, the building site supervisor cut through asbestos insulation with a saw, causing harmful fibres to spread through the school hall while still in use by primary school students, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed.
A prompt investigation carried out by the HSE uncovered that the supervisor had failed to follow basic asbestos awareness training and interfered with a wall that should not have been disturbed. This was because the wall in question was due to be checked by a licensed asbestos contractor prior to removal. Such a check would have confirmed whether harmful asbestos was present.
Following a guilty plea, the building site supervisor was fined £1,800. He was also ordered to pay a £720 victim surcharge and a subsequent £4,000 in costs – a total financial penalty of £6,520. Speaking on the incident, Ian Whittles, an HSE Inspector, stated: “Every year around 5,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases, often taking decades to develop symptoms.”
“In this case, wholly unacceptable exposure to asbestos fibres occurred as a result of an individual employee not following instructions and procedures designed to prevent such occurrences.”
HSE currently has two campaigns aimed at informing tradespeople about the dangers of asbestos and how to work safely with it. The campaigns also aim to reach those responsible for the maintenance and repair of non-domestic buildings.
Source: here.
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