Corporate health and safety crime at work

UNISON whistleblowers teach college a lesson on asbestos

Fareham College has been fined £23,000 after UNISON reps revealed the college had for years required staff to employ unsafe work methods with asbestos.

In addition to the fine for four breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, Fareham Magistrates Court also require the college to pay costs of £18,000 to the Health and Safety Executive, who brought the prosecution.

This case was brought to light by Alan Phillips and Peter White, two UNISON health and safety stewards who battled for many years to prove that the college contained asbestos, including ceiling tiles and walls.

"Many maintenance staff were required to drill, cut and move these tiles in the course of their work over 20 years without any protective equipment and clearly were exposed to asbestos dust/fibres," says a statement from the UNISON Southern Region.

The court head that Fareham College had made "errors of judgement" and "fell far short of its responsibilities to its employees."