Builders liability insurance holders have been told that they need to ensure construction work is properly organised, after a Bristol-based firm was prosecuted and fined £18,000.
Frank Bruce and Company pleaded guilty to breaches under Regulation 14 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM) for failing to appoint a CDM-coordinator or principal contractor for construction work and Regulation 4(10) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
Bristol magistrates court heard how Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors visited industrial units where Frank Bruce and Company had organised work involving the removal of asbestos insulation boarding, without taking statutory safety precautions.
The court said that this led workers to be exposed to asbestos, a material which is known to cause cancer.
Sue Adsett, HSE inspector, said that although the work was stopped and the defendant paid to make the site safe, seven workers were still exposed to asbestos.
Last month, Stonehouse Design and Build, from Plymouth, was fined £5,400 after pleaded guilty to breaching asbestos-related regulations. 