Hospital trust is fined over asbestos

The HSE is warning employers to take proper precautions over the management of asbestos in their buildings, following the prosecution of an NHS trust.

St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust in south London was fined £5,000 plus costs after pleading guilty to breaches of Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.

HSE investigators found that the trust did not have an effective system for managing asbestos in a residential block, and did not control the risk of exposure to asbestos fibre in the building – despite repeatedly being alerted to its presence over a number of years. Asbestos-containing materials were often damaged by workmen and cleaned up or repaired by the trust’s employees.