A heating engineer has been fined after removing asbestos lagged pipework at a property with no measures to prevent exposure to the material.

Karl Locher, 48, of Minet Drive, Heyes, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. He was fined £5,000 with £3,000 in costs.

Mr Locher, who is self employed, was tasked with installing a new heating system at the property.

He removed the redundant pipework that was lagged with asbestos using a powered electric saw.

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He then transported the pipework through the property and deposited it outside on the drive.

Traffic Magistrates' Court heard that Mr Locher did not have any asbestos awareness training.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court that had Mr Locher been appropriately trained, he wold have been in a position to recognise that the lagging may be asbestos.

He therefore would have known to avoid any work until it had been demonstrated as asbestos free or been removed by a licensed contractor.

Mr Locher removed the pipes with no precautions to prevent his own exposure to asbestos fibres, and the potential for other persons to be exposed.

As a result, the homeowners have moved out of their home pending a thorough decontamination of the property.

(LM)