£44,000 fine for breaches of asbestos regulations

29 Sep 2008

EASTBOURNE MAN FINED £44,000 FOR UNLICENSED REMOVAL OF ASBESTOS

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging people to ensure that they use licensed companies to remove asbestos insulation board or asbestos lagging.

This follows the joint prosecution with the Environment Agency of Robert McCart today, a Director of two Eastbourne based companies, Sussex Asbestos Solutions (South East) Ltd and Sussex Asbestos Solutions Ltd. At Eastbourne Magistrates’ Court, Mr McCart pleaded guilty and was fined £36,000 and £4,000 costs for breaching seven regulations under The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (please see notes to editors). He was also ordered to pay £4,000 compensation to the shop owner.

The Court clearly accepted the gravity of the offence and also disqualified Mr McCart from being a Director for four years.

Mr McCart was charged with health and safety offences following work he carried out to a shop in Gore Park Road, Eastbourne between 17 and 19 November 2007. He was employed by a local businessman to remove asbestos insulation board from his shop. Mr McCart undertook the removal of asbestos insulation board without the required licence for work with asbestos, and without notifying the HSE.

Mr McCart failed to carry out the appropriate precautions and left a white sack containing broken pieces of asbestos insulation board outside the shop, and asbestos debris inside the property. Mr McCart’s actions put members of the public at risk of exposure to potentially lethal asbestos fibres.