Refurbishment Asbestos Failings
Following asbestos failings during a refurbishment project, 2 directors have been sentenced and fined.
This comes after the team were found to have disturbed large quantities of asbestos-containing materials whilst carrying out demolition work.
During several months of work, asbestos fibres were spread across five uncontained floors within a closed down department store.
With asbestos being responsible for over 5,000 deaths per year, a prison sentence was the only likely outcome for the 2 former directors.
Alan Barraclough one of the directors received a 14-month sentence suspended for 2 years with the addition of unpaid community service. On top of this, he was suspended from being a director for 10 years and ordered to pay an eye-watering sum of £44,774.21
He pleaded guilty to breaching two counts of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 etc.
James Keegan another former director at the time was found guilty of the same offences with the same charges handed out.