The Company and its Director prosecuted for unsafe removal of Asbestos across the UK

An asbestos removal company has been convicted and its director given a prison sentence after failing to ensure the safe removal of asbestos.  Asbestos Boss Limited, also known as Asbestos Team and its director, Daniel Luke Cockcroft, advertised as a licensed asbestos removal company and removed licensable material from domestic properties throughout Great Britain.

An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Asbestos Boss Limited had never held a licence and their poor working practices resulted in the large scale spread of asbestos and exposure to homeowners and their families. Little to no precautions were taken by Asbestos Boss Limited and so their own workers, as well as anybody at the premises they were working on, were at serious risk of exposure to asbestos. The company and their director also breached a prohibition notice on several occasions.

HSE Inspector Matt Greenly said: “Asbestos is a killer. Companies and their directors need to recognise the dangers of removing asbestos by themselves both to their employees and others. Asbestos removal should only be carried out by trained personnel who understand the risks and how to control them.

Graham Warren, ACAD Manager commented “ACAD welcomes this prosecution and the imprisonment which starts to reflect the seriousness of the shocking breaches involved here.  It can be difficult for the uninformed client when it comes to Asbestos, but the most straightforward check available to all is via our website to ensure anybody they ask to work on Asbestos is a member of ACAD”.