Asbestos dumped on pavement during church demolition

Grant Prior 14 years ago
Share

Shocked safety inspectors found demolition rubble containing asbestos spilling out onto a pavement during work to knock-down an old church in Snodland, Kent.

HSE inspectors were acting on a tip-off from a worried member of the public who alerted them to the bodged demolition project.

Maidstone Magistrates’ Court heard the site was owned by Bernard Berry of Berry Estates Development Limited who were also carrying out the demolition of the building.

On 23 April 2010, two HSE inspectors attended the site and discovered the majority of the building had already been demolished but debris containing asbestos was blocking the pavement on one side and had also spilled out onto the pavement on the other side.

Principal contractor Berry could not provide paperwork for a demolition plan, method statements or risk assessments. No asbestos survey had been completed prior to the demolition and site security was very poor. A Prohibition Notice was served preventing any further work onsite.

After the notice was served Berry commissioned a pre-demolition asbestos survey, which highlighted a number of asbestos containing materials across the site.

A HSE investigation showed that the building was being knocked into pedestrian areas and broken up with an excavator. It showed no evidence of employee training, no personal protection or respiratory equipment and no plan of work on site. It also revealed no provision to prevent dust spreading during demolition and crushing.

David Fussell, HSE Inspector, said: “The company failed to take any measures aimed at controlling the workers’ exposure to asbestos and reduce any future incidence of related diseases.

“This is a shocking case as it was foreseeable that a building of this age may have had asbestos-containing materials in the building fabric, as the subsequent survey highlighted.

“If the company had carried out a survey and prepared a plan of work prior to demolition, the risk of exposure to the workers onsite or the general public could have been avoided.”

Berry Estates Development Limited, of Red Hill, Wateringbury, Maidstone, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching asbestos regulations and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,391.

Bernard Berry, director of the company also pleaded guilty to breaching the same regulations and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,391.

Latest news

Breyer Group files administration notice

Staff hope rival firm could buy assets and save jobs
4 hours ago

Peel Ports reveals winners for £750m framework

18 firms win places on deal: Full list
2 hours ago

Wates wins fit-out for Manchester First Street Hub

Smartspace arm secures another Government hub deal
2 hours ago

Former Severfield director takes helm at Embrace Steel

New CEO Martin Kelly aims to step up expansion of steelwork contractor
5 hours ago

£302m upgrade funding awarded to FE colleges – list

Cash shared out between England’s 179 college groups
4 hours ago

FK Facades thrives but construction arm hit by ISG row

Dispute with failed contractor costs specialist £5.5m
5 hours ago

Galliford Try gets go-ahead for Milton Keynes PRS tower

33-storey tower needs gateway 2 approval before work can start
23 hours ago

Small house builders get £150m funding for green homes

Developers will have to meet-up to ten new criteria to benefit from interest rate discounts
5 hours ago

Lendlease Construction renamed Bovis

US private equity firm completes £35m purchase of UK contracting business and rebrands
1 day ago

Breyer Group battles for survival as rivals circle

Housing maintenance firm fights three winding up petitions in a month
1 day ago

Careys facing £2.4m claim by developer over demolition cartel

Giant Hong Kong developer claims it was overcharged on Lots Road Power Station job
1 day ago

Multiplex profit drops a third as revenue rises to £780m

Spate of new orders sets contractor up for three years of work
1 day ago

Galliford Try and Breheny land latest Sizewell C road deals

More infrastructure deals for new nuclear power station
2 days ago

Worker trapped in collapsed septic tank pit

Contractor and director fined after worker suffers multiple fractures
1 day ago

Homes England buys stalled Broad Marsh site

Demolition to finally be completed as developer hunt begins
2 days ago

Vistry go-ahead for 353 homes at Rochester Riverside

Work to start on next phase of Kent town regeneration at end of this year
2 days ago

M&E firm J S Wright collapsed owing £19m

Trade creditors hit for £11.4m by employee-owned Midlands firm
2 days ago

Right to work checks to be extended to self-employed

Government plans crackdown on illegal working and rogue employers
2 days ago

Midlands developer turns to London with £1bn resi schemes trio

SevenCapital plans 1,000 flats in Kensington, Islington and the Isle of Dogs projects
2 days ago

Deck falls off huge scissor lift at Winvic site

Two men seriously injured as platform plunges to the ground
5 days ago

Weston targets Build to Rent with new division

Weston Partnerships signs first deals with asset managers and councils
2 days ago

Bouygues seals deal for £119m Cardiff college campus

Construction to start in June on two new buildings
5 days ago

£140m cash injection to speed-up flood defence schemes

Funding part of £2.65bn investment over the next two years
2 days ago

Bid race starts for £15bn schools framework refresh

DfE throws framework open to more contractors
5 days ago

Berkeley’s £600m Borough Triangle project approved

Controversial scheme features two towers of 38 and 44-storeys
6 days ago

London Mayor calls in blocked 600-bed student scheme

Refused 20-storey London PBSA block may still be built
5 days ago

HG to build 500-bed London Stratford student scheme

Work will start later this year subject to gateway 2 safety approval
6 days ago

Arrest after pedestrian death on construction site

Tragedy during site preparation works for new Wigan car park
5 days ago

British Steel threatens closure of Scunthorpe blast furnaces

Chinese owners say sectional steel and rail supplies will be maintained
6 days ago

Planning green light for Sheffield warehouse site

Existing factories to be demolished in new scheme for Rula Developments
5 days ago

Contractor services