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Lack of Planning For Asbestos Sees Security Firm, Director and NHS Trust prosecuted
A security firm, a company director and an NHS Trust have all been fined after potentially dangerous asbestos fibres were released in a county hospital.
The Trust employed a contractor to upgrade security at the Hospital. During the work, engineers ran cables through false ceilings and partition walls in public areas of the hospital. The work resulted in asbestos fibres being released into the hospital, which had remained open to the public and staff alike.
HSE's investigation found that the Trust did not ensure that the contractor had received information on asbestos in the building or planned the project management of the work correctly.
The investigation also found that the contractor had assumed areas of the hospital did not contain asbestos and that the director had not ensured that sufficient assessment had been undertaken to identify the presence of asbestos within the areas they were working
HSE inspector Karl Raw said:
"The lack of planning meant that there was potential for workers and members of the public to be exposed to asbestos."
"Asbestos can be very dangerous and regulations are there to minimise risk. Had this job been properly planned then any disturbance of asbestos could have been avoided."
As can be seen if asbestos is not planned for correctly during projects, the consequences can be costly (in terms of both project delays and enforcement action).
Our experience on many large-scale projects across different sectors has given us the understanding that the pre-planning and post-survey support stages are
every bit as important as the survey itself. We find that our partnership approach, with ongoing support beyond the initial survey, pays dividends for our clients.
For full storey http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-em-12710.htm
New website for ASM
On account of recent project successes and continuing business growth, ASM Compliance has decided to launch a new company website.
The site is designed to enhance the company's service information to clients
and present a portal for new and existing customers to review ASM's project track record.
"We're still winning new business
on word-of-mouth alone," comments
ASM's managing director, "but we've increased our working capacity so now's
the time to start promoting our expertise
and experience to a wider audience."
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