Friday, May 23, 2014

Lack of communication exposes foreman to asbestos fibres

Having an asbestos survey carried out is exactly the right thing to do, but you must then share the results of the survey with the team who will be working on that site. Redwood Contractors Ltd didn't do that and it has cost them £10,000.

The HSE decided to prosecute Redwood Contractors Ltd after it was found an asbestos survey was carried out, found asbestos to be present on the site in question, but that information wasn't conveyed to the site foreman and his crew. In turn, those individuals were unknwoingly exposed to asbestos fibres without the appropriate protection and put their health at risk.

HSE inspector Karen Morris commented:

"What is the point of having a suitable survey in hand if you aren’t going to act on it and share vital information with those who need to know? Sadly, breakdowns in communication of this kind are all too common, but that doesn’t excuse Redwood Contractors from failing to do more.

The company is guilty of a clear oversight that may have compromised the future health and wellbeing of its workers. Everyone knows that asbestos is a potential killer, and the onus is on duty holders to implement proper control measures at all times when dealing with asbestos.
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Source: The Construction Index

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