Hodgins Architectural Facades Ltd fined after Asbestos contamination at Galway school

A Fine of €10,000 was handed down to Hodgins Architectural Facades Ltd on (Wednesday 14th November) by Judge Gerard Griffin in the Galway Circuit Court. This case arose as the result of asbestos contamination which occurred during the removal and replacement of windows at Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiarain, Carraroe, Co. Galway.  When work commenced in November 2009, it was observed that an asbestos board was located behind the window panels.  Work was halted while a work procedure was put in place, which required the panels to be lifted out intact, double wrapped in plastic and secured in a lockable container on site. Work resumed and the majority of the windows were removed in this manner, except one which was inaccessible due to a scaffold.  Once the scaffold was removed, this final window was removed.  However, the existing lock on the container had been replaced by this time, and the operative did not have a key.  The asbestos panel was placed on a trestle adjacent to the locked container and not secured inside it. Some ten days later, a painter, subcontracted to Hodgins Architectural Facades, Ltd took the asbestos board to level the ground beneath his ladder, mistaking it for plasterboard. The panel was broken up and contaminated the rear school yard with asbestos. After the judgement, Martin O’Halloran, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority said that asbestos removal and disposal must be done in a careful and competent manner, “Usually, asbestos is detected when maintenance work is being carried out on older buildings. Once asbestos has been identified it should be removed by trained competent personnel and disposed of in a safe manner. In this case the failures posed a significant risk to the health of persons exposed.”The Company, Hodgins Architectural Facades Ltd, was fined €10,000 for breaches to Section 12 contrary to Section 77(2)(a) of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. http://www.hsa.ie/eng/News_and_Events/Press_Releases_/Firm_fined_after_Asbestos_contamination_at_Galway_school.html

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