Two companies have been fined for endangering workers by exposing them to potentially deadly asbestos.

On 27 September 2012, two employees of Pilkington Plumbing & Heating were allowed to carry out removal of a back boiler and drill a wall panel at a house in Jubilee Close, Ilfracombe, despite the company not receiving an asbestos survey from North Devon Homes.

As a result, asbestos insulation board (AIB) was disturbed and the workers were exposed when fillets of a fire surround were moved, an AIB panel above a door was drilled and another AIB panel moved.

The incident was investigated by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which has since prosecuted both North Devon Homes and Pilkington Plumbing & Heating at Barnstaple Magistrates' Court.

The court heard that Pilkington had requested asbestos survey information on the properties but decided to go ahead without having carried out a sufficient assessment of work liable to disturb asbestos. Instead, the contractors relied on information about asbestos on North Devon Homes’ website for contractors, but this was not specific to each property being worked on and was incomplete or misleading.

At a hearing yesterday (19 January 2015), North Devon Homes pleaded guilty to a breach of Construction (Design Management) Regulations and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £650. At an earlier hearing on 8 October 2014, Pilkington Plumbing &Heating pleaded guilty to two breaches of Control of Asbestos Regulations and was fined £1,500 with £642 costs.

“As a result of North Devon Homes’ failure to provide the required information and Pilkington not waiting for the asbestos details before starting work, two workers have been needlessly exposed to asbestos,” said HSE inspector Barry Trudgian.

“The risks associated with asbestos in housing stock are well-known and the regulations governing its removal are long-standing. This incident could have been avoided if Pilkington had carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the work liable to disturb asbestos.”