Tenants exposed to asbestos dust

October 28th 2015

A company has been fined for exposing tenants of a house in Lincolnshire, including a three year old girl, to dangerous levels of deadly asbestos dust.

Blankney Estates Ltd, the company which rented the property in Scopwick, received the fine at Lincoln Crown Court after it pleaded guilty to health and safety offences.

The court heard it did not manage adequately what were clearly deteriorating asbestos materials, and did not ensure that work within the property to remove an asbestos-lagged tank was properly planned and carried out safely by competent contractors.

The same court also fined plumbing company Michael Grace Ltd and Adam and John Thurlby, who were directors of a family-owned demolition company ART Dismantling Co Ltd. These defendants were prosecuted by HSE for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2006 when they worked on removing the tank from the house.

Blankney Estates Ltd was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Adam and John Thurlby also pleaded guilty and were each fined £12,500 and each ordered to pay £7,500 costs for contravening five CAR Regulations while acting as directors of ART Dismantling.

Michael Grace Ltd pleaded guilty to three CAR offences and was fined £10,000 plus £5,000 in costs.

Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 and causes around 5,000 deaths every year. For more information on how to manage the risks associated with it visit the HSE website or contact Eton Environmental Group on 01325 366886.