26 Sep 2011
A builder was exposed to high levels of asbestos for five hours while fitting pipes in a Bath building, a court heard.
Jonathan Arnold, 49, was working on a new central heating system at Oxford House, Combe Down, when he was exposed to a large amount of blue asbestos – also known as crocidolite – which can cause cancer.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which brought the prosecution at Bath Magistrates’ Court, said that the potentially lethal substance was disturbed while the building, owned by Forman Electronics Ltd, was being refurbished.
The substance then spread inside the building, where Mr Arnold, of Castle Cary, was exposed to the material for five hours at a concentration which exceeded the control limit.
An investigation by HSE discovered that the company failed to conduct a refurbishment and demolition survey, and so did not have details of the presence and state of any asbestos inside the building.
Formac Electronics Ltd, of Oxford House, Combe Down, Bath, pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching the Construction Regulations Act 2007.
The company must pay a fine of £600 and costs of £6,013.
Copyright Press Association 2011