A subsidiary of Gentoo Group has been fined £20,000 after exposing nearly 200 workers to asbestos fibres. The Health and Safety Executive this week ordered Romag, which manufactures solar glass, to also pay £12,638 in costs after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws.
The Sunderland-based firm, owned by 29,000-home Gentoo Group, ignored recommendations from its own safety advisers to cordon off a contaminated area when asbestos was discovered.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated the incident, which was triggered by two fire alarm installers when they started some work at the firm’s Princess Building on Leadgate Industrial Estate on 12 July 2011.
Consett Magistrates’ Court was told that the two subcontractors, who had been told the building was free from asbestos, unknowingly drilled through an asbestos insulation panel while installing fire sensors.
They then used a domestic vacuum cleaner to clean up the dust and debris and later used it in several parts of the building as they put up the sensors, spreading asbestos fibres around the premises.
The court was told the asbestos disturbance was discovered the next day, but Romag failed to take any appropriate action for at least nine days, even though its own health and safety advisers had urged it to cordon off and lock down the area and arrange for an emergency clean-up and air clearance test.
Risk of exposure
HSE found the firm’s delay in taking action led to 180 workers and 16 visitors being put at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. When the clean-up was organised, a substantial amount of contaminated material was collected.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Miller said: “Romag Ltd needlessly put at risk the health of nearly 200 people because they failed to identify the presence of asbestos before any work started and then compounded the failing by not acting quickly to clean the area properly.
“Any company that intends to do work to the fabric of a property built prior to the year 2000 must ensure that they have taken all reasonable steps to check whether asbestos is present before any work starts. That information must be then shared with anyone involved in the proposed work.”
Gentoo Group bought the glass processor in April 2011 and the company was made a wholly-owned subsidiary. It told Inside Housing there had been a review of asbestos procedures since the incident.
John Craggs, deputy chief executive of Gentoo Group, said: “After [Gentoo acquired Romag] Gentoo’s health and safety team were drafted in to provide advice which resulted in the development of a detailed action plan regarding all aspects of Romag’s health and safety procedures.
“Elements of this action plan around asbestos management were not implemented in a timely manner. With the support of Gentoo, Romag gave its full cooperation to the HSE investigation.
“Subsequently there has been a full review of systems and procedures and a robust asbestos management policy is now firmly in place.”
