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Posts Tagged ‘asbestos’
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”.
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’.
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.
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.”
THE widow of an ex-headteacher who died from asbestos exposure is urging the House of Lords to stand fast after the Government refused to exempt victims from legal costs.
Marie Hughes watched husband Phil die from cancer after coming into contact with asbestos at Brymbo Steelworks in his younger years.
The Government voted against some amendments to its controversial Legal Aid bill to exempt asbestos victims paying the costs, despite rebel Tories and Lib Dems voting the other way last week.
It will again come before the House of Lords tonight for further debate and could be sent back to the Commons if the peers are not satisfied.
Mr Hughes was a former of headteacher of Tanyfron School, near Wrexham, and died, aged 57, in 2005.
Mrs Hughes, of Coed-y Glyn, Wrexham, said if they’d had to worry about the financial implications of trying to press for a claim without legal aid, they might not have bothered.
“I was very disappointed the bill went through in the Government vote on Monday,” she said. “But I did take heart that there were Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs who could not vote with the Government.
“It is now going back to the House of Lords and I would urge them not to pass this through, back what they backed, and send it back to the House of Commons where hopefully more will reject it.”
Disgusted residents have spoken of their shock after a bag believed to contain asbestos was dumped outside their homes.
The large red bag – which carried a warning that it contained asbestos – was left inside an abandoned shopping trolley on the pavement close to Duncombe Street car park.
It was spotted by a resident on Tuesday night who contacted the Grimsby Telegraph to express his concerns.
And although the bag and the trolley have now been removed, it remains a mystery as to who disposed of them.
Yesterday, North East Lincolnshire Council said it had no record of fly-tipped asbestos being reported in Duncombe Street, and had therefore not arranged for it to be collected.
And Shoreline Housing Partnership, which owns the flats across the road from where the bag was dumped, was also unaware of the incident.
A resident from the block of flats on the corner of Werneth Road, who did not wish to be named, described seeing the trolley containing the red bag being dumped sometime between 5pm and 6pm on Tuesday.
Environmental campaigners told a High Court judge today that an Olympic basketball training facility was being built on parkland filled with “lead and asbestos”.
They said the facility in Waltham Forest, north London, was being put up in an area “landfilled” after the Second World War and workers were disturbing “contaminated” earth.
Demonstrators raised concerns as Mr Justice Arnold – who has said he has tickets for an Olympic basketball game – renewed an order “restraining” them from engaging in “unlawful activity” at the site.
The judge granted the injunction on April 4 after lawyers representing the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) – a public body responsible for building Games venues – said protesters were stopping workers getting to the site at Leyton Marsh, which is part of a regional park.
He renewed it at a High Court hearing in London today after hearing arguments from the ODA and protesters.
The judge was a told that the ODA had licensed the site from park owners. Planners had given permission on the basis that the facility would be demolished and land restored to its previous condition after the Games.
He said he had to balance the ODA’s rights under that agreement and demonstrators’ rights to free speech and assembly.
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