Posts Tagged ‘Asbestos inspection’
University fined for asbestos failings
Lincoln University has been fined for putting staff, students and contractors at risk of exposure to asbestos.
The failings came to light on 24 February 2010 when a lecturer became trapped in a room after a door lock broke. She enlisted the help of a colleague to release her and once freed, they noticed debris around the door handle.
They notified the university’s health and safety department which examined the door and others in the area, and discovered most were lined with asbestos insulating board (AIB), and that some were damaged.
The university notified the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which carried out its own investigation. It was found that a number of areas across the university’s estate had been subject to asbestos surveys over a number of years and many areas were found to contain asbestos-containing materials or even asbestos debris, yet no remedial action had been taken. Read More
Asbestos compliance checks in schools show 17% failure rate
Asbestos compliance checks which were carried out between November 2010 and June 2011 show that 17% of schools have not implemented adequate asbestos management.
The compliance checks were carried out at 164 voluntary aided and foundation schools and also academies. The 17% failure shows that 28 out of the 164 schools had inadequate management plans, however, another 110 schools received formal advice on how there was room for improvement with regards to their management plans.
Enforcement action taken against the 28 schools was not due to the danger of exposure for teachers and pupils, it was the failure to provide adequate training to staff and also not being able to produce and show inspectors management plans, which caused these failings.
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Organisations blame each other over hospital asbestos disturbance
An NHS Trust, a security firm and a company director have been fined after asbestos was released during maintenance work at a hospital in Northamptonshire.
Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court heard that Northamptonshire NHS Teaching Primary Care Trust had contracted NUTEC Security Systems Ltd to upgrade security at Isebrook Hospital in Wellingborough.
Following a series of burglaries at the hospital, the NHS Trust decided to install CCTV and motion sensors inside the hospital buildings. During the installation, which was carried out between 21 April 2008 and 9 June 2008, NUTEC engineers ran cables through false ceilings and partition walls in public areas of the hospital. Asbestos was present in both the walls and the ceilings and was disturbed during the work. Read More
Asbestos Waste – Bideford woman jailed for illegally dumping waste
A businesswoman who illegally dumped up to 3,000 tonnes of waste has been jailed for nine months. Petra Bond, 66, ordered staff to dig asbestos, diesel contaminated waste and other refuse into the ground to cut costs, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Bond and her son 40-year-old Julian Goddard, who ran Auto Disposals and Bideford Skip Hire in north Devon, were convicted of seven charges. Goddard was ordered to pay a total of £7,750 in fines and costs.
Bond, of Aish Park, Shebbear, ordered staff to dig holes and bury the harmful and noxious waste because it was “too expensive” to dispose of legitimately She then tried to blame them when she was caught. Read More