May 23rd, 2007
The Health and Safety Executive in the UK is issuing warnings to companies with regards to the demolitions of buildings that may contain asbestos. The Health and Safety Executive has warned that companies must take extra care when demolishing building that contain asbestos sheets due to the risk of release of asbestos dust and fibers.
The warnings come after a company in the UK was fines thousands of pounds (GBP) after asbestos was released during the demolition of a building. The company, Wye Valley Demolition Ltd, was fined almost twenty thousand GBP including court costs. The incident occurred in 2004, after it was found that the building contained asbestos cement sheets that were simply smashed during the demolition.
One Health and Safety Executive spokesman stated: "People working in the construction industry need to exercise caution when working in areas that may contain asbestos. Asbestos should not be treated lightly as it causes 3,500 deaths in Britain each year, with annual numbers predicted to go on rising into the next decade. All people working in areas that may contain asbestos need to be aware of the dangers to others and the financial penalties imposed if asbestos is mishandled. The risks from asbestos cement are lower than from other asbestos materials but contractors still need to take proper precautions."
Bookmark Us (Ctrl+D)



