Asbestos specialist prosecuted after team found not wearing protective clothing

If you employ an asbestos expert, you expect them to take the proper precautions to both clear an area of asbestos, while at the same time ensuring people don't get exposed to the harmful fibres. That's not the case for qualified asbestos specialist Steven Kelly who has been prosecuted by the HSE.

Kelly was a supervisor working for the Manchester-based Winsulate and was in charge of asbestos removal at a local college. An unannounced HSE visit found three men under Kelly's supervision working around asbestos without protective clothing. The only protection they had was half masks, which are inadequate for such work.

Kelly pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £790 along with costs of £250. What's worrying is the fact Mr Kelly was a qualified supervisor, so this should never have been allowed to happen.

Source: The Construction Index