Supervisor Fined Over School Asbestos Exposure

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20 June 2025

A construction site supervisor has been fined for exposing primary school students and staff members to asbestos fibres during refurbishment works.

During the renovation of kitchen facilities at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Bristol, the supervisor cut through asbestos insulating board using a circular saw, spreading asbestos fibres throughout the school hall. The hall was then used for two days by pupils and staff.

The Health and Safety Executive found that the supervisor had not followed his asbestos awareness training, including clear instructions not to disturb the wall. The wall was due to be checked by a licensed asbestos contractor prior to removal to clarify if asbestos was present.

The supervisor pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £1,800 and ordered to pay a £720 victim surcharge and £4,000 in costs at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 12 June 2025.

According to a National Education Union (NEU) report by Dr Gill Reed, tens of thousands of school staff and students have already died from mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure before the mid-1990s.

HSE inspector Ian Whittles said: “Every year around 5,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases, often taking decades to develop symptoms. In this case, wholly unacceptable exposure to asbestos fibres occurred as a result of an individual employee not following instructions and procedures designed to prevent such occurrences.”

Picture: a close-up image of the asbestos-containing material. Image Credit: HSE 

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 20 June 2025

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