Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has been fined for allowing a worker to become exposed to asbestos dust.
The employee was sent to Craddock Court to deal with a leaking pipe, but he was not informed by the Council that the pipe in question was lagged using an asbestos containing material. In order to gain access to the leaking pipe, the employee sawed through the insulation and, by doing so, created a cloud of asbestos fibres which, as he was not wearing the protective clothing or mask that are required when working with asbestos, may have contaminated him.
A strong leak between exposure to asbestos fibres and cancer has been known of for decades. However, due to the long latency of symptom onset of Mesothelioma, usually between 20 and 40 years, the number of deaths directly linked to asbestos exposure is rapidly increasing now, with the HSE estimating it to be around 4000 deaths per year.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the Council as they had not informed the plumber that asbestos was present at the sheltered housing accommodation, even though it was in posssession of an asbestos survey detailing where the asbestos containing materialsare in the building.
Nuneaton and Beadworth Borough Council pleaded guilty to a breach of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and were fined 5000 with a further 2140 in costs.
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Tags: asbestos, asbestos survey, fine, HSE, mesothelioma