02/08/2010 - Firm fined over asbestos removal
A building firm has been fined for continuing to carry out unlicensed asbestos removal after warnings that it was handling the potentially dangerous substance.
Ron Couch Building Contractors Ltd handled materials containing asbestos while it was replacing a central heating boiler at a property in High Street, Pontypool.
In a bid to remove the boiler, carpenters from the firm removed a cupboard door clad with asbestos insulation board (AIB), Caerphilly Magistrates' Court heard at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution on Thursday.
A supervisor from a licensed contractor working in a nearby property approached the men when he saw the door outside and warned them of the presence of AIB.
The law states that any work involving AIB must be done by licensed contractors, but the HSE investigation found workers were instructed by a senior manager to seal the walls of the cupboard with plasterboard.
At a hearing in Caerphilly Magistrates' Court, Ron Couch Building Contractors Ltd Panteg Station, Station Road, Griffithstown, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The company was fined a total of £2,500 and ordered to pay £1,250 costs.
HSE inspector Steve Richardson said: "The company was well aware of its legal duties in terms of asbestos work as, prior to this incident, it carried out removal of the asbestos boiler flue in a safe manner using qualified personnel."
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