A fire at a factory in the West Midlands may have caused asbestos to be released in to the surrounding environment. The fire occurred at Monty’s Tropical Rags factory and the surrounding roads have been shut in an attempt to prevent any potential spread.
According to the BBC, as many as 200 fire fighters have been tackling the blaze, which was described by onlookers as “massive”. No casualties have been reported but local residents living near the Hawthorns Trading Estate in Cornwall Road, Smethwick have been urged to shut windows and stay indoors.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK. Asbestos is a building material used for, among other purposes, fireproofing and insulation. In good condition it is safe; however, once it becomes airborne it can be very dangerous. Inhalation can cause mesothelioma and lung cancer. Even worse, these are not diseases which will be immediately obvious to the victim and will become more debilitating as your life progresses.
Asbestos use and control is governed by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. Of particular relevance here is section 4 of the regulations which details the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The person(s) who have any obligations in relation to the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises must conduct a risk assessment as to the presence of asbestos and this must be reviewed and updated if there is reason to suspect that the assessment is no longer valid or that there has been a significant change in the premises.
According to eyewitness Wayne Shaw, “the building was collapsing and all the asbestos was being thrown to the floor”.
With this much asbestos around, questions might be asked as to whether the owners of the premises had been complying with these regulations effectively and the fire has put a lot of people locally in danger of suffering an asbestos related disease.
