Going back a few years.....
Local business owner had asbestos insulating boards cladding columns on his factory floor.
Some were in a poor state, so he got quotes for their removal.
Baulking at the figures that came back, he decided to employ a friend of a friend instead, who was an asbestos stripper himself.
So, one cheery Wednesday evening after the employees had gone, the "expert" arrived, and proceeded to weave his magic.
When the employees came back in the following morning, they were greeted by the sight of the previously "a bit knackered" asbestos now being very much more so, with chunks of it strewn all over the place.
Long story short, the factory owner was bang to rights (getting the quotes removed any excuse of ignorance of the facts), and was prosecuted.
Apart from getting bent over by the removal contractors who were called in to clean up the aftemath, the lab. fees over a bank holiday weekend, and having to fork out for mandatory training as part of their penance, I think the HSE fines alone were in excess of £20K.
Local business owner had asbestos insulating boards cladding columns on his factory floor.
Some were in a poor state, so he got quotes for their removal.
Baulking at the figures that came back, he decided to employ a friend of a friend instead, who was an asbestos stripper himself.
So, one cheery Wednesday evening after the employees had gone, the "expert" arrived, and proceeded to weave his magic.
When the employees came back in the following morning, they were greeted by the sight of the previously "a bit knackered" asbestos now being very much more so, with chunks of it strewn all over the place.
Long story short, the factory owner was bang to rights (getting the quotes removed any excuse of ignorance of the facts), and was prosecuted.
Apart from getting bent over by the removal contractors who were called in to clean up the aftemath, the lab. fees over a bank holiday weekend, and having to fork out for mandatory training as part of their penance, I think the HSE fines alone were in excess of £20K.