New Record Fine for Breaches of Asbestos                 Regulations

Reach Environmental Ltd were found not to have lived up to their 'green' name when they breached two asbestos regulations at the former Wills Tobacco Factory in Bristol earlier this year. The Staffordshire firm were hit with a fine of £120,000 plus £7,000 costs, a record high fine in the UK for breaches of the asbestos regulations. The company were judged to have failed to adequately suppress and to stop the spread of asbestos fibres. Inspectors had visited the site several times before the breaches were found and had advised on how the process should be correctly carried out. Given these warnings, it was reasonable to have expected the work to have completed safely. Asbestos control is an issue very much in the public eye (following cases such as R -v- Brintons and R -v- Rollco Screw & Rivet Company) and so it is important for the HSE and the courts to be seen to be taking action against those who disregard the regulations. Reach Environmental have been left counting the cost both to their finances and to their image.