Marden Homes has been fined £50,000 with costs of over £1,400 after exposing workers to potentially fatal asbestos fibres.

The Essex firm was appointed to convert an office block into residential flats in July 2012.

Works involved the removal of a disused boiler and its pipes from the building's former Plant Room.

During the refurbishment, company workers disturbed pipe lagging which contained asbestos fibres.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the company after discovering it had not arranged a Refurbishment and Demolition Asbestos Survey for workers on the site.

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Employees of Marden Homes were therefore unable to identify the presence of asbestos before removing the disused boiler, potentially exposing themselves to asbestos fibres.

It is understood the company had received previous advice from the HSE, in 2013, regarding the need for a survey to be carried out prior to work around asbestos.

The firm had also gotten an Improvement Notice requiring it to provide its employees with asbestos awareness training.

The company pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

HSE Inspector David King said: "Exposure to asbestos fibres is a serious and well known health risk, so it is essential that duty-holders take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent the disturbance, spread and exposure to asbestos."

(LM)