Landlord and building contractor fined over asbestos neglect

A landlord and building contractor have been prosecuted after workers were exposed to large quantities of asbestos fibres at a rented property in Selly Oak, Birmingham.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) took legal action against landlord Wah Kei Dany Ng of Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield and building contractor Jasvir Singh Sangha of Tunnel Road, West Bromwich, after asbestos fibres were released from the demolition of a conservatory at the property.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard how the landlord commissioned a building contractor to replace a conservatory containing asbestos panels at the rented house in August 2017. Asbestos was spread as the panels were removed in a haphazard and uncontained way.

The landlord pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay costs of £607.

The building contractor pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 5 and 16 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and has been sentenced to 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £596.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Gareth Langston commented: “Asbestos surveys need to be carried out prior to any construction work which disturbs the fabric of a structure.”