Council fined GBP 17,005 over asbestos exposure
September 8, 2008
A local authority has been fined £17,005 plus nearly £4,000 in costs after a caretaker was exposed to asbestos in a local school, a source says.
Richard Brand, who worked at Wallsend Jubilee School, came into contact with asbestos in the boiler room, reports the Journal.
It was quarantined, but not marked as unsafe.
North Tyneside council is being fined for breaches of health and safety regulations and for failing to implement an asbestos management plan.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Dr Stephen Britton claims the caretaker had swept the location without being aware of its contamination.
He tells the news provider the previous headteacher and caretaker had been aware of the asbestos, but their replacements had not been informed.
Mr Britton notes: "There were ten fibres per millimetre, which is 100 times the permitted level."
The chief executive of the council Andrew Kerr claims it has been working with the HSE to introduce a "robust management approach".
It claims to have spent half a million pounds on reviewing its health and safety policies since the incident.
The HSE is due to launch a campaign raising awareness of the hazardous material in October called Asbestos – The Hidden Killer.
Richard Brand, who worked at Wallsend Jubilee School, came into contact with asbestos in the boiler room, reports the Journal.
It was quarantined, but not marked as unsafe.
North Tyneside council is being fined for breaches of health and safety regulations and for failing to implement an asbestos management plan.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Dr Stephen Britton claims the caretaker had swept the location without being aware of its contamination.
He tells the news provider the previous headteacher and caretaker had been aware of the asbestos, but their replacements had not been informed.
Mr Britton notes: "There were ten fibres per millimetre, which is 100 times the permitted level."
The chief executive of the council Andrew Kerr claims it has been working with the HSE to introduce a "robust management approach".
It claims to have spent half a million pounds on reviewing its health and safety policies since the incident.
The HSE is due to launch a campaign raising awareness of the hazardous material in October called Asbestos – The Hidden Killer.
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