Shropshire director jailed for illegal supply of asbestos sheeting after worker fell to his death

A 64-year-old Shropshire man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after his company illegally supplied roofing panels containing asbestos.

Company director Robert Marsh’s offences came to light after a 56-year-old construction worker, who was roofing a barn using the panels, fell through the fragile material and later died.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Mr Marsh, sole Director of RM Developments (2005) Ltd of Newport, Shropshire, had supplied pre-used roofing sheets containing white asbestos to a farming partnership building a barn in Frankley, Worcestershire.

During a three-day hearing which ended today (4 June), Worcester Crown Court heard that after Mr Marsh supplied the roofing sheets, the partnership hired steel erector Tony Podmore to use the materials to build the barn.

But during the final phase of its construction on 8 June 2011, Mr Podmore, of Calf Heath, near Wolverhampton, fell through the fragile asbestos cement roof sheets, landing on the concrete floor more than six metres below. He later died of his injuries in hospital.

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Fines imposed for reckless ladder work

A foolhardy roofer has appeared in court after footing a double extension ladder on a transit van in order to access a third floor façade.

George Nicholls, 25, blatantly risked harming himself and others as he used the ladder to paint a shop frontage on St Marys Road in Southampton on 14 March 2013.

His reckless exploits were captured on camera by a council environmental health officer following a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and (23 May) prosecuted Mr Nicholls for safety failings alongside the company that paid him to undertake the work.

Asbestos firm’s errors exposed workers to hidden killer

A specialist asbestos removal company has been fined after it exposed workers to dangerous fibres during demolition of a former school building.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard today (27 May) that Angus Group Ltd did not properly manage the removal of asbestos-containing materials at the site of the former Ermine Infants’ School on Thoresway Drive, Lincoln, during March 2012.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation after inspectors visited the school and discovered a catalogue of safety breaches.

Angus Group Ltd were sub-contracted to carry out the asbestos removal work on behalf of the contractors demolishing the school, owned by Lincolnshire County Council. The site was being demolished after the school buildings were replaced by a new school.

Before work began, an asbestos survey was carried out to identify the areas in the building containing asbestos, and recommending how this was to be treated to ensure safe removal.

The survey found the end walls of the school’s main hall were covered in a spray-applied coating of asbestos, and should therefore be removed by a licensed contractor under safe, controlled conditions.

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Suffolk firm in court after homeowners exposed to asbestos

A Suffolk building contractor has been fined after it exposed workers and homeowners to potentially fatal asbestos material during work on a garage extension at a home in Ipswich.

Columbus Building Contractors Ltd was hired by the homeowners to carry out a single-storey front garage extension and a kitchen conversion to the property.

Ipswich Magistrates’ Court heard today (20 May) that the garage, an integral part of the home, had an asbestos insulating board (AIB) ceiling that formed a fire break between it and the rest of the house. During the conversion work between 8 May and 2 August 2012, the boards were removed, broken up and left on the homeowners’ front lawn.

The debris was then placed into open bags before one of the homeowners transported it to the local tip in his car where the possibility of asbestos was identified.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and prosecuted the company for breaching asbestos safety regulations.

The court was told a licensed contractor had to undertake waste removal of the remaining asbestos material and conduct an environmental clean under fully-controlled conditions.

Columbus Building Contractors Ltd, of Crofton Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching regulations 8(1) and 11(1)(a) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

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