Workers on a series of Scottish construction company sites have demanded that a series of investigations into the company be reopened, claiming asbestos exposure. The business, Springfield Properties, paid a £10,000 fine over breaches to workplace health and safety laws at their building site in Milton of Campsie.
The subcontractors who worked at the site have claimed that they provided evidence to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Executive outlining further breaches at other sites, which they say have been ignored.
One worker, who runs a business that worked on the sites, says he has written to the HSE and SEPA.
He states: “I would like HSE to open a case against Springfield Properties about sending employees into dangerous asbestos buildings to demolish without telling them of the dangers and transporting dangerous contaminated waste mixed with asbestos to other sites.
“We have all evidence to prove our statement. As HSE and SEPA already have these statements, why did they not pursue prosecution on these sites?
“We know they got a prosecution on one site at Milton of Campsie but why didn’t they prosecute the other three sites – Gartcosh, West Linton and Motherwell – which had more evidence than Milton of Campsie? We would like these sites to be re-examined please.”
The business owner says that at least 21 workers have been exposed at sites run by the company over a period of almost two years.
The workers at the centre of the issue say that they are worried about the potential health effects of the alleged asbestos exposure. Not only worried about the immediate effects upon their health, they are also concerned about long-term health effects.
The HSE confirmed that they “carried out an investigation into the exposure of workers to asbestos-containing dust. This led to Springfield Properties PLC being fined £10,000. Allegations about transportation and dumping of asbestos waste falls under the jurisdiction of SEPA, not HSE.”
A spokeswoman for Springfield Properties said: “We have absolute confidence in the investigations the Health & Safety Executive carried out and concluded almost 10 years ago. We will fully cooperate with the HSE and any other relevant authority if required.
“The case at Milton of Campsie was fully resolved. Any suggestion that impropriety has taken place on other sites is dangerous and misguided and we will robustly defend ourselves against any false allegations.”