Great Yarmouth Egg carton manufacturer fined £50,000 for asbestos breach
21 February 2006
On Thursday 2nd February, Great Yarmouth based egg carton manufacturer Omni-Pac (UK) Ltd, was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £86,000 costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of Health and Safety Law.
The prosecution followed an investigation by the HSE regarding the condition of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) at the company’s site in Great Yarmouth in October 2003. Air samples taken during this investigation showed a high level of asbestos at Omni-Pac. The primary source of contamination was found to be from damaged and poorly maintained asbestos insulation used on top of dryers that were used to produce the finished papier-mache cartons.
After the hearing, Paul Carter, HSE investigating inspector commented “Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related death; breathing in asbestos fibres can lead to serious diseases, including cancer. This case demonstrates that HSE takes the failure to properly manage the risks from asbestos extremely seriously. Businesses need to ensure that they are complying with the law.”
"Omni-Pac failed to maintain the asbestos containing materials throughout the site, particularly in those areas at high level that were not readily visible. The company failed to adhere to its own procedures and consequently people could have been exposed to asbestos over a long period of time."
The breaches related to Sections s(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, with respect to the company’s duties to both its employees and to others who were affected by the way it conducted its Health and Safety undertaking.
If you own, occupy, manage or have responsibility for non-domestic premises, it is your duty to manage the risk from any materials containing asbestos under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002.
In order to do so you must first establish the presence, location, quantity, nature and condition of any asbestos on your premises. The Health and Safety People Ltd can assist you with that by surveying for asbestos and reporting on the findings. This report will indicate whether further intrusive investigation is required.
Finally to allow you to properly discharge your obligations, a register detailing the condition and quantity of all asbestos-containing materials will be established enabling the effective management of the risks posed to users of the building. Contact us now on the following link – Contact Us or call us on 08456 122 144 for further information
(Source – HSE website 3/3/06)