On 8 May 2014, Redwood Contractors Ltd of Battersea Rise in London was fined at Reading Magistrates Court, after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
 
The Court heard that the firm was undertaking refurbishment work in a Berkshire warehouse and was in possession of an asbestos survey for the building. The survey, which had been completed two months earlier, clearly identified the location of asbestos insulating board (AIB) within the building. However, this information was not shared with the team doing the refurbishment work.
 
When the foreman of the team mistook the AIB for asbestos cement, a lower risk material than AIB, removal work continued without any adequate control measures in place. This exposed the workers to potential harm from the asbestos fibres in the higher risk AIB, which should only be removed by licensed contractors.
 
After making investigations into asbestos contamination in the warehouse, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) established that the foreman and his team had not been given any information about the AIB and consequently prosecuted Redwood Contractors Ltd for a breach of safety regulations.
 
After pleading guilty at the Court hearing, the company was fined £10,000 plus costs of £2,857.
 
For further information, please click on this link: http://press.hse.gov.uk/2014/firm-in-court-for-failing-to-communicate-known-asbestos-risk/?eban=govdel-press-release&cr=08-May-2014.