A construction firm has been fined for removing an asbestos ceiling in a school despite not being legally approved to do so…
A firm has been fined for carrying out work it was not approved to do. Clarks Construction Limited were contracted by the Board of Governors of Caddington Village School to undertake work. This included refurbishing changing rooms, toilets, and associated areas at the school complex.
The school revealed it had arranged for a specific refurbishment survey to be conducted for the presence of asbestos. The survey found there was asbestos in the ceiling of one of the rooms.
It was then found that Clarks Construction Limited had removed the ceiling in August 2013 without consultation with the school and without effective reference to the asbestos survey.
The case, which was brought before Luton Magistrates’ Court, saw the company fined a total of £3,300, and ordered to pay £662 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulation 8(1) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. This was due to the level of risk involved, which should have required a licensed contractor to remove the areas containing asbestos.
