Will asbestos incident spark health and safety improvement at local authorities?
September 29th 11:56 Health and Safety
A local authority in the UK has been fined after failing to notify a worker of asbestos dangers related to a job.
This could inspire a number of councils to seek help from a facilities management provider in order to improve their health and safety processes.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,140 after sending an employee to fix a water leak at a housing complex without warning about the presence of asbestos.
Mike Ford, an inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, commented: "This case is particularly disappointing as we expect more from local authorities who actually have a duty to enforce the law concerning asbestos and should be setting a good example.
"The dangers of asbestos are well known in the building industry so for [the council] not to inform its employee of its presence showed a major failing in its procedures at that time."
Nuneaton magistrates issued the fine after the authority pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4(9)(c) and Regulation 11(1) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
