Workers carrying out extensive boiler renovations on houses in Ilfracombe were exposed to potentially-deadly asbestos because of failures by a two local companies.

Two employees of Pilkington Plumbing and Heating Ltd were allowed to carry out removal of a back boiler and to drill a wall panel at a house in Jubilee Close, Ilfracombe, after the company started work despite not receiving an asbestos survey from North Devon Homes.

The incident, on 27 September 2012, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted North Devon Homes for safety failings at Barnstaple Magistrates Court today.

The court heard that Pilkington had requested asbestos survey information on the properties but decided to go ahead without having carried out a sufficient assessment of work liable to disturb asbestos.

Instead, the contractors relied on information about asbestos on North Devon Homes’ website for contractors, but this was not specific to each property being worked on and was incomplete or misleading.

As a result, asbestos insulation board (AIB) was disturbed and the workers exposed when fillets of a fire surround were moved, an AIB panel above a door was drilled and another AIB panel moved.

Residents in the affected properties, which were all being refurbished, had been vacated during remedial works to remove asbestos containing materials.

North Devon Homes Ltd, of Westacott Road, Barnstaple, pleaded guilty to a breach of Construction (Design Management) Regulations and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £650.

Pilkington Plumbing and Heating Ltd, of Pilton Street, Pilton, Barnstaple pleaded guilty to two breaches of Control of Asbestos Regulations at an earlier hearing before the same court (on 8 October) and was fined £1,500 with £642 costs.

HSE Inspector Barry Trudgian, speaking after the hearing, said:

“As a result of North Devon Homes’ failure to provide the required information and Pilkington not waiting for the asbestos details before starting work, two workers have been needlessly exposed to asbestos.

“The risks associated with asbestos in housing stock are well-known and the regulations governing its removal are long-standing. This incident could have been avoided if Pilkington had carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the work liable to disturb asbestos.”

An Essex construction firm has been fined for failing to provide adequate sanitation facilities for its workers.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the company’s site at Camper Road in Southend on 26 March 2014 and issued an Improvement Notice after finding sub-standard facilities for workers on site.

Dantel Construction Ltd was prosecuted at Southend Magistrates’ court today (7 Jan) after it failed to respond to HSE’s enforcement action by improving the welfare facilities for workers. Two months after the date of compliance of the Improvement Notice, they still hadn’t brought standards up to an acceptable level.

Dantel Construction Limited, of Wantz Road, Dagenham, was fined £ 2,000 and ordered to pay £1,940 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work act.

Health and Safety Inspector Adam Hills said:

“Construction workers have the right to sanitary and welfare facilities including having an adequate supply of hot and cold running water. There is really no excuse to subject workers to pre-Victorian conditions. Sadly, however, these basic requirements are too often neglected.

“A cold water tap and toilet on their own are not adequate. Decent facilities will positively benefit health and well-being and help prevent ailments and infection.”

A construction company with a record of endangering the lives of its workers has been fined after the Health and Safety Executive found once again it was putting workers at serious risk of falling from height.

Inspectors who paid a routine visit to AM Construction Ltd’s site in Tildasley Street, West Bromwich, on 15 May 2014 found men working on the first floor without scaffolding, edge protection, airbags or other fall prevention or mitigation measures.

A Prohibition Notice – the company’s ninth in ten years and the eighth relating to work at height – was served by HSE halting all work at height immediately.

Today (20 Jan) at Black Country Magistrates’ Court, AM Construction Ltd, of Kingshill Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £5,300 and ordered to pay £1,157 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Gareth Langston said:

“Work at height is the biggest cause of death in the workplace and remains a priority area for HSE. When companies regularly fall below the minimum legal standards and repeatedly ignore advice prosecution is inevitable.

“AM Construction Ltd has become a repeat offender in ignoring HSE’s advice and failing in its duty to ensure the safety of its workforce. It is extremely lucky that no-one was killed or hurt.”

A businessman allowed the spread of asbestos in an industrial building by not employing licensed contractors to remove the potentially deadly material, a court has heard.

Peter Rees, the owner of a business unit in Eagle Farm Road on the Mochdre Business Park, was selling the building to another business when the incident happened in September 2012.

He appeared at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court today after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified clear failings with his management of the material.

The court heard that the company purchasing the unit had commissioned an asbestos survey that showed the presence of a large amount of asbestos insulating board.

However, instead of employing a qualified and licensed asbestos removal contractor – as the law requires – Mr Rees used a general contractor, which resulted in asbestos dust being spread inside the building.

A complaint was raised by a licensed contractor and a significant clean-up operation was then required by an authorised contractor.

Peter Rees, of York Road, Deganwy, was fined £8,000 ordered to pay £7,400 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

HSE Inspector, Chris Wilcox, speaking after the hearing, said:

“The potentially lethal effects of exposure to asbestos are well known.

“Mr Rees’ failure to use a qualified and licensed company to remove the asbestos led to contamination inside the building. Fortunately, HSE was made aware of the incident before it was reoccupied by the new owners.

“Anyone who owns or has control of non-domestic premises has a legal duty to manage the risk of asbestos in their buildings. When asbestos is removed, it must be done by someone who is trained and competent to do the work.”

A Powys firm has been fined for serious safety failings after a woodworker had his right arm severed while clearing sawdust from underneath a circular saw.

Brian Morris, 59, from Llanbadarn Fynnyd, was working at Stagecraft Display Ltd’s factory just outside Llandrindod Wells when the incident happened on 23 February 2012.

Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court was told today (21 January) that at the time of the incident Mr Morris had finished sawing for the day and his last task after an 11-hour shift was to clean the saw and saw well.

He stopped the machine and opened the door of the well while the blade was still running down and was on one knee blowing air into the well to clear the dust. At the same time a forklift truck drove into the factory and he turned his head to look.

As he did so the moving blade caught the sleeve of his work jacket and cut his right arm. Although he managed to pull himself free, the arm was almost wholly severed.

Mr Morris was taken to hospital, where he remained for a month, but doctors were unable to successfully reattach his arm and he underwent an amputation below the elbow.

He was unable to return to work because of his injuries and has since died from an unrelated illness.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that although the machine was fitted with an interlock that stops power to the saw when the door to the saw well is opened, the saw took more than 30 seconds to stop completely.

The court was also told that a self-employed machine maintenance engineer inspected the saw three months before the incident and told one of the company’s managers that it should be taken out of service or fitted with a brake which would stop the blade much sooner.

Stagecraft Display Ltd, of Esgair Draenllwyn, Llaithddu, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £11,865 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Damian Corbett said:

“This incident was entirely preventable. Saws cause the most injuries in the woodworking industry and power-operated circular saws are dangerous machines which have caused many serious incidents.

“Employees should not be able to gain access to dangerous parts of the machinery while they are moving and Stagecraft Display had a duty, as do all employers, to ensure that this cannot happen.

“Unfortunately in this case the saw had not finished rotating despite the fact that Mr Morris had switched it off and he then inadvertently came into contact with the moving blade, suffering a horrific injury.”