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Two family-run companies have been fined after a surprise health and safety inspection found there was no asbestos survey before converting a basement.
The directors of Hatters Hostel Ltd, the company behind Hatters Hostel, have been fined over £44,000.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Hatters Taverns Limited appointed sister company Hatters Hostel Limited as the contractor for the basement conversion, to turn the former restaurant unit into a bar, which required a stripping of the area.
An unannounced inspection carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that no asbestos survey was carried out before tradesmen began the conversion.
By the time of the inspection, the work had been going on for eight months and involved workers from six different firms. No asbestos was found on three walls that had been renovated and it is unknown if the workers were exposed to the harmful mineral, as evidence could have been destroyed.
However, asbestos had been detected in fire retardant paint on a wall that had not yet been touched.
Hatters Taverns Limited of 50 Newton Street Manchester pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(3) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and was fined £10,000.
Hatters Hostel Limited of 56-60 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5(a) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay the combined costs for both defendants of £10,232.50.
Matt Greenly, a HSE inspector, said: “Both Hatters Hostel and Hatters Taverns have failed in their duty to protect their workers, subcontractors and visitors to his site from harm.
“Only by knowing if asbestos is present in any building before works commence can a contractor ensure that people working on their site are not exposed to these deadly fibres.
“Exposure to asbestos fibres can potentially cause life shortening diseases in the long term and Hatters Hostel Limited and Hatters Taverns Limited should have taken more care to protect workers from a totally preventable exposure.”
The firm said they believed that Concrete Juice, the subcontractor in charge of the project for the first five weeks, had carried out the survey. Hatters Tavern Ltd took over after them.
Sentencing Judge Jinder Singh Boora added that the company’s health and safety record was otherwise “impeccable.”
