Landlord and Contractor Are Fined After Asbestos Breach

Both a landlord and building contractor were fined after a property demolition resulted in the release of large amounts of asbestos fibres. The landlord hired a building contractor to replace a conservatory containing asbestos panels at a rented property,which caused asbestos to spread as the panels were removed in an uncontained manner.

An HSE investigation revealed the landlord failed to carry out an asbestos survey prior to starting work. Further,the contractor should have required the survey before beginning work. The two were given the following fines:

• The landlord was fined £1200 and ordered to pay costs of £607.21.
• The contractor was sentenced to £150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £596.61