A Pontypool building firm carried out unlicensed asbestos removal despite being warned materials they were handling contained the potentially dangerous substance.
During a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution on Thursday (29 July)
Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court heard Ron Couch Building Contractors Ltd, were replacing a central heating boiler at a private property in High Street, Pontypool.
Carpenters from the Griffithstown-based firm removed a cupboard door clad with asbestos insulation board (AIB) in order to take out the boiler.
A supervisor from a licensed contractor working in a nearby property approached the men when he saw the door outside and warned them of the presence of AIB.
The law states that any work involving AIB must be done by licensed contractors but the HSE investigation found workers were instructed by a senior manager to seal the walls of the cupboard with plasterboard.
At a hearing in Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court, Ron Couch Building Contractors Ltd Panteg Station, Station Road, Griffithstown pleaded guilty to two charges under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The company was fined a total of £2,500 and ordered to pay £1,250 costs.
