A national builders’ merchant has been hit with a huge fine over failing to manage asbestos safely.
Jewson, which has around 600 outlets across the UK, was this week ordered to pay £400,000 for a string of lapses with the potential to put lives at risk.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Environmental Health Officers from Middlesbrough Council visited Jewson in Brewsdale Road, North Ormesby, in October 2019 after concerns were raised regarding damaged asbestos-containing materials.
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An inspection of the site led officers to identify a number of damaged asbestos-containing materials and asbestos fibres were found to have been released.
Investigations into the management of asbestos revealed that between 2004 and 2019, despite several surveys being carried out, there had been a significant failure to properly inspect and manage asbestos at the premises.
The reports found that the company that owns the premises - Stark Building Materials UK Ltd, formally known as Saint-Gobain Distribution Ltd trading as Jewson - was aware of the risks presented by asbestos but that no action was taken to prevent or reduce the exposure and spread of asbestos from the premises.
Judith Hedgley, Middlesbrough Council’s head of public protection, said: “Asbestos has been used extensively in many thousands of products, particularly in the construction industry.
“However, the health risks associated with asbestos have been known about for many years and asbestos has not been used in products since 1999.
“Due to the clear and well-established health risks, employers and owners of workplaces are required under health and safety laws to conduct surveys of their premises to identify, label, remove or effectively manage asbestos.
“If asbestos-containing materials become damaged they can release tiny fibres, which if breathed in or swallowed can lead to serious and potentially fatal illnesses, which can take years to develop.
“The management of the Jewson site in Middlesbrough had, over a prolonged period, failed in their responsibility to protect their workers and visitors from the risks associated with exposure to asbestos.
“It is not possible to say for certain if anyone in particular has been exposed to asbestos or if they are likely to experience any health effects - however, from the findings of the investigation we can say that overall the risks are very low.”
While the company that employed workers at the site in this case - Jewson Ltd - no longer trades, legal responsibility remained with site owner Stark Building Materials UK Ltd, with the latter accepting responsibility for failing to ensure that workers and visitors to the site were not exposed to risks to their health or safety from potential exposure to asbestos.
At the first hearing of the case on July 25, Stark Building Materials UK Limited pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing to protect the health and safety of persons not in its employment, including employees of Jewson Limited working at the premises, members of the public and contract workers, by failing to manage asbestos.
Appearing at Teesside Crown Court for sentencing, on Tuesday (September 12), the company was also ordered to pay £9,664 towards the council’s costs.
After the court case, Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke, the council’s executive member for Public Protection, added: “Asbestos has been a health concern for many years and kills around 5,000 workers each year from past exposure.
“The very substantial fine imposed on Stark Building Materials UK Ltd sends out a clear message to employers and building owners that they must identify where asbestos is in their premises and put measures in place to manage it so that no one’s health is put at risk.”
A spokesperson for Jewson said: "We accept the ruling of the court and the fine received and apologise again to all concerned.
"Shortly after the events that led to this prosecution, which occurred in a period ending in 2019, the business completely reconfigured the system for managing asbestos in the workplace, introducing a comprehensive digital tracking and monitoring process.
"In addition, earlier this year, we conducted a further review of our processes and procedures – both for this site and across our estate – and are confident that the solutions put in place are now as robust as they should be."
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