British Roofing Company Cited by HSE Office

Workers who took part in the destruction of asbestos roofing sheets during a renovation project in North London may face future health problems. The firm that employed the crews, A&T Roofing Ltd., has received citations from the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for their "cavalier attitude" toward worker safety. According to reports from the HSE, A&T ordered workers to break up sheets of Amosite asbestos (also called "brown" asbestos) and sweep up the debris without the benefit of protective clothing or breathing masks, as required by government worker safety standards.

Court documents reveal that the company employed workers to destroy 3,000 square meters (3,600 square yards) of asbestos sheets and sweep them into standard garbage bags. The documents also state that the company did not take the required steps to make sure that workers followed proper procedures for asbestos disposal. In the instances involving Amosite asbestos, such procedures are crucial to insure that the fibers do not become airborne. Amosite is recognized as one of the most dangerous forms of the mineral and is known to cause such lung diseases as asbestosis, an irritation of the lung tissue, and mesothelioma, a form of cancer that attacks the lining on the lungs.

The HSE investigation showed that A&T was working on a project to clean up and repair a London warehouse roof in November 2005. When they discovered the Amosite two weeks into the project, the work supervisors did not call a stop to the project. Instead, they continued to work by breaking up the sheets and sweeping the loose fibers. These actions, in turn, caused the loose fibers to become airborne and created a breathing hazard for both workers and bystanders. The main avenue for contracting asbestos-related lung diseases is through breathing in airborne fibers, which irritate and contaminate lung tissue.

The Southward Crown Court ruled that the company violated asbestos management laws, issued a fine of GBP25,000 (US$40,000) and ordered them to cover the cleanup costs of GBP33,844 (US$54,100). The firm that owned the warehouse, Noble Gift Packaging Ltd., was also cited for failing to hire a firm that specialized in asbestos abatement and disposal. The court fined Noble Gift Packaging GBP40,000 (US$64,000) and ordered them to pay another GBP19,223 (US$30,725) toward the cleanup efforts.

Sarah Snelling, the lead HSE investigator on the A&T case, said that the company's actions were "unpardonable". She stated that, even after the company found the asbestos on the roof, they continued to work for an additional ten weeks on the project. Their actions, she said, caused a potentially massive health risk to workers exposed to the dangerous substance, as well as their families and the general public who may have inhaled fibers as they passed by the project. She also said that the case was one of the worst she had seen in the last fifteen years and expressed concern about why Noble Gift Packaging did not engage an asbestos cleanup firm to assess the project and carry out the cleanup efforts.

Sources: The Enfield Independent, Building.co.uk

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