CONTRACTORS hired by Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT) failed to follow proper health and safety guidance when removing asbestos from a property in Romsley, a complaint upheld by the housing association has revealed.
The complaint was made by Steve Edwards after flooring contractor, Locke and Eastwood, removed over 62kg of asbestos cement flue debris from the loft of the property in October 2022.
Following the complaint, BDHT’s head of asset management and development, along with the trust’s health and safety compliance manager, determined the flooring contractor had ‘not followed Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for the removal of asbestos’ and confirmed bdht was not provided with a copy of a risk assessment or a method statement for the removal works.
The recommendations for the removal of asbestos came after a survey of the property, ordered by the housing trust and carried out by Bradley Environmental in November 2019, determined there were low and very low risk levels of asbestos throughout the property.
Mr Edwards, who receives disability support, says the problems caused him serious issues and he has relied on support from former Bromsgrove District Council leader, Karen May.
He said: “The problems have ruined my life but I’m a solider and I’ll keep fighting.
“I am glad bdht have not beat me and I am still here to tell my story.”
The upheld complaint also confirmed the floor contractor to have incorrectly labelled the consignment note, which detailed the works, by stating it had removed asbestos floor tiles when in fact it had removed asbestos cement debris.
The housing association, bdht confirmed, had ‘not followed due diligence’ by failing to ensure the contractor had worked safely and appropriately.
After the removal works were carried out, Mr Edwards said he felt unsafe in his property and ordered his own survey of the premises to determine the safety of it.
A survey then carried out by Trust Environmental in February confirmed asbestos cement debris remained in the loft of the property and recommended removal and an environmental clean to rectify the risk posed by the hazardous material.
Bromsgrove District Housing Trust then carried out a full environmental clean of the property’s loft and relaid new loft insulation on March 30 and 31, and has reimbursed Mr Edwards for the cost of the survey.
Following the incident, Locke and Eastwood have been suspended from completing any further asbestos removal works on behalf of BDHT.
BDHT stated in its upholding of the complaint it would provide repairs and maintenance managers with further asbestos awareness training and would conduct further audits on the management of asbestos disposal processes.
Graeme Anderson, BDHT chief executive, said: “We investigated the complaint thoroughly and found there were failures in the service we gave to Mr Edwards.
“We apologised unconditionally at the time and committed to taking further action.
“We also then co-operated with the Health and Safety Executive, which investigated the case and decided no further action was necessary.
“Locke and Eastwood are permitted to carry out non-licensed asbestos work. However, their work practices did not reach our standards, and we no longer use them to carry out this type of work.
“We carried out a clean to the loft, re-laid new loft insulation and reimbursed him for his asbestos survey.
“Mr Edwards did not pursue the complaint after we upheld it, in March 2023.
“We understand Mr Edwards’ concern and upset, and we would like to apologise to him again.
In a request for comment, Locke and Eastwood claimed to have followed HSE guidelines during the removal works on Steve Edwards’s property and claimed the suspension from carrying out asbestos removal works for BDHT was mutually agreed.
A spokesperson for Locke and Eastwood said: “We can confirm we did attend a BDHT property and collected redundant heating flue pipes from the loft as per the written instructions from Bromsgrove District Housing Trust.
“This work was carried out completely within HSE guidelines and disposed of as per the Environment Agency requirements.
“The consignor’s note was completed, and did inadvertently contain an incorrect code, but this had no bearing on the disposal, as all works were completed within the required guidelines for the materials collected.
“Locke and Eastwood continues to work with BDHT but we have suspended, by mutual agreement, carrying out this type of work until clarification is received of the roles and responsibilities required.”
Coun Karen May has been approached for comment.
