Newquay firm fined for risking asbestos exposure

A Cornish contractor has been fined and a hotel owner ordered to carry out unpaid work after failing to safely manage the removal of asbestos-containing materials during a refurbishment. 

In September 2017, Michael Cutmore was managing the partial demolition and refurbishment of a derelict hotel he co-owned in Island Crescent, Newquay. The building had previously been soft-stripped with non-structural elements removed both internally and externally. Asbestos surveys confirmed the presence of the hazardous material.

The property’s other owner, who has not been named by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), appointed local firm B and S BM to carry out demolition and refurbishment work to part of the hotel. Cutmore was also stripping asbestos from the inside of the building at the same time, an inspection by the HSE found. 

Some of the materials were licensable-products, such as an insulating board containing amosite (brown asbestos), according to a statement from the safety watchdog. The extent of the presence of the materials and their poor management and removal meant workers and visitors were put at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. 

B and S BM, of Prow Park, Newquay, pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of the Heath and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was fined £22,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000. Cutmore, of Mount Wise, Newquay, pleaded guilty to a single breach of the Heath and Safety at Work Act 1974. He has been ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and to pay costs of £7,500.

HSE inspector Georgina Speake said: “Companies should be aware that the HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall behind the required standards. The dangers associated with asbestos are well known, and a wealth of advice and guidance is freely available from HSE and other organisations.”