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Archive for the ‘Asbestos News’ Category
Bath MP Don Foster has added his voice to a campaign to stop the dumping of thousands of tonnes of asbestos in a quarry in the north east Somerset countryside.
His intervention means that politicians in both Bath and Bristol have now raised concerns about the possible impact on water supplies of the plans for Stowey Quarry near Chew Valley Lake.
B&NES Council is considering an application to turn the quarry into a landfill dump for 645,000 tonnes of asbestos and inert waste.
It had approved plans for the landfill site in July but then quashed the decision after procedural errors.
A new application has since been lodged with the council, triggering the relaunch of a major campaign by environmentalists and residents.
Mr Foster has lodged an official objection with the council, pointing to new concerns from the Environment Agency over the risk to groundwater supplies, and the potential for substances to leach out of the quarry.
In his letter of objection, he urges the council to reject what he calls “these flawed proposals”.
A local authority and a building contractor left a family exposed to asbestos for three days during renovation works at a house in Lincoln.
Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard that City of Lincoln Council had contracted County Waste (Lincs) Ltd to refurbish a bathroom at a residential property. The council had identified that asbestos insulation boards were present in the room and had contacted a licensed company to remove them. But the work was never carried out and the council contacted County Waste to inspect the site to see if it was necessary for a licensed contractor to be brought in.
On 10 June 2008, one of County Waste’s workers visited the property, but instead of inspecting the boarding, he prised off the panels with a crowbar and broke them into pieces. Some of the debris was left on the bathroom floor, and the worker walked around the property for the rest of the day in clothing that may have been contaminated with asbestos fibres.
The tenant family complained to the council about the debris and a council worker visited the house on the same day to inspect the damage. He identified that the debris contained asbestos but didn’t inform the family, which was not moved to another property for three days.
City of Lincoln Council appeared in court on 3 June and pleaded guilty to breaching reg. 8(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, for failing to put adequate procedures in place to protect workers, and s3(1) of the HSWA 1974. It was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 in costs.
In a judgement that could have far-reaching ramifications for UK companies with subsidiaries, the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of an asbestosis sufferer, who sought damages against the parent company of his former employer.
The Court upheld a decision by the High Court in April last year, which ruled that Cape plc, as the parent company, was liable for the activities of its subsidiary, Cape Building Products Ltd. The appeal judgment, handed down last week (25 April), could have significant consequences for companies in the UK with domestic-based subsidiaries, as well as multi-national companies headquartered in the UK with subsidiaries in developing countries, where their operations have greater potential to cause direct harm to workers, the local environment, and consumers.
The case centered around David Chandler, 71, who was employed by Cape Building Products Limited (formerly Uxbridge Flint Brick Company), between 1959 and 1961, during which period he suffered heavy asbestos exposure. Diagnosed with asbestosis in 2007, he was unable to pursue a claim against Cape Building Products, owing to an ‘asbestosis exclusion clause’ in its insurance policy. Mr Chandler’s lawyers, Leigh Day & Co, instead decided to pursue his claim against Cape plc.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Stuart Pearson at Guildford Magistrates’ Court for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations between the 20th of April and 1st of May 2011.
On the 30th of April 2012 the court was told that he had been employed to carry out the demolition of a house in Woking, Surrey, before groundwork’s were laid for a new property.
The previous homeowner had an asbestos survey carried out after a plumber refused to repair the boiler due to the presence of asbestos; this survey was given to Pearson to make him aware of the area which contained asbestos.
The survey highlighted that there were 12 metres of asbestos in poor condition within the house, with two of three areas classified as ‘high risk’. It went on to state: ‘This material is in very poor condition and debris now exists around the boiler and the floor within the rest of the room. This room must not be accessed until a full environmental clean and removal of all asbestos-containing materials has been carried out by a licensed asbestos contractor.’
The report also stated that the asbestos removal had to be undertaken in controlled conditions with the use of ‘enclosures, airlocks, negative pressure units and decontamination units’.
History of Asbestos in the UK
Earlier this year Silverdell PLC took the lead as the first company, (who major on the management of asbestos and other hazardous materials) to publish an historic timeline on the subject of asbestos, in a visual and easily shareable format.
They have adapted the timeline and accompanying article to reflect the recent supreme court landmark ruling and the changes to the (CAR) 2012 regulations.
The content, in the form of an infographic and detailed article, aims to highlight the ‘History of Asbestos’, the use of asbestos and asbestos legislation, since the first recorded asbestos-related death in 1906.
Redhills is one of the UK’s leading asbestos and environmental consultancies.
We have produced this document to answer the following asbestos related questions.
- What is the health risk from exposure to asbestos?
- What is the Control of Asbestos Regulations?
- What is the ‘duty to manage’ and who has it?
- What kinds of building are affected by asbestos regulations?
- How do I become asbestos compliant?
- What is an asbestos management survey and do I need one?
- What is an asbestos register?
- We are planning to refurbish or demolish some buildings do I need a survey?
- What are my responsibilities in relation to asbestos training?
- What should I do if someone has disturbed and damaged asbestos?
- Where is asbestos found in buildings?
For answers to all these questions, download the document here.
Redhills is one of the UK’s leading asbestos and environmental consultancies.
We have produced this document to answer the following indoor air quality related questions.
- What is meant by indoor air quality?
- Is there a relationship between indoor and outdoor air quality?
- How serious a problem is poor indoor air quality?
- What contributes to poor indoor air quality?
- What is Sick Building Syndrome?
- What regulations exist to control Indoor Air Quality?
- How do I measure workplace air quality?
For answers to all these questions, download the document here.
Redhills is one of the UK’s leading asbestos and environmental consultancies.
We have produced this document to answer the following COSHH related questions.
- What is COSHH?
- What is a substance hazardous to health?
- What regulations exist to control substances hazardous to health?
- Does COSHH cover all hazardous materials?
- What does our organisation need to do to be COSHH compliant?
- What does the term Workplace Exposure Limit mean?
- How do I know if employee exposures are below a WEL?
- How do I limit or prevent exposure to hazardous substances?
- What should I do in the event of an emergency?
For answers to all these questions, download the document here.
Redhills is one of the UK’s leading asbestos and environmental consultancies.
We have produced this document to answer the following Waste & Hazardous Waste related questions.
- What constitutes hazardous waste?
- What regulations exist to control hazardous waste?
- What is WM2?
- Do I need to register as a hazardous waste producer?
- What is a duty-of-care transfer note?
- What must I do if I want to move some hazardous waste?
- What is the duty-of-care for waste?
- Do I need to keep records of hazardous waste?
- What are the methods for waste storage?
- Can I store waste on my premises?
For answers to all these questions, download the document here.
The UK Asbestos Training Association Ltd (UKATA) has announced the appointment of Terry Barker MA, PG DIP, as its new Technical and Operations Manager. A director of UKATA since its inception, Terry joins the team at Markham Vale for an initial three month period to support the team in driving forward the development of the organisation and delivering the UKATA’s strategy and vision for the future. The appointment comes ahead of UKATA seeking a permanent Chief Executive Officer and further information on this new appointment is expected shortly.
Terry’s name is a byword in the asbestos industry, having worked in the sector for 23 years. Together with his founding role in UKATA, Terry was also heavily involved with the Asbestos Training providers Working Group (ATPWG) with the Health and Safety Executive; making him the perfect candidate for this new role in the Association.
“The Board of Directors felt very strongly that Terry’s continued assistance in moving the Association forward was of such importance that we sought to engage his professional services and we are delighted he has accepted this new position,” said Mike Smith of UKATA. “Terry is very familiar with the needs and requirements of the membership and his appointment is a necessary step in effecting organisational change. Terry’s reputation precedes him and we are sure his appointment will prove a popular choice with our Members.”
New asbestos legislation will undoubtedly lead to extra costs for many employers in the electrical contracting industry, says Paul Reeve, head of Health & Safety and Environment at the ECA.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at the start of April, place more intensive requirements on maintenance contractors.
Under the new regulations, contractors must notify the relevant authorities if they are doing certain types of non-licensed work involving asbestos, and keep a brief written log of the work.
In addition, all employees who could come into contact with asbestos will need to be put under health surveillance. The tighter regulations are a response to the European Commission’s view that the UK had not fully implemented EU Directive 2009/148/EC on controlling worker’s exposure to asbestos.
Reeve said, “The HSE has put considerable thought into limiting the financial impact of the changes, but the new regulations will still require thousands of maintenance contractors to provide three-yearly respiratory health assessments for tens of thousands of their operatives. This could lead to a significant increase in costs.”
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