13 Dec 2014

Contractors pleased with asbestos fine

2:11 pm on 13 December 2014

A building contractor says he is pleased the manager of a renovation company has been fined $40,000 for failing to test for asbestos.

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Photo: RNZ / Nicola Grigg

Peter Page from the Apartment Renovation Company was sentenced in the Auckland District Court yesterday under health and safety laws.

Christchurch-based contractor Bruce West said the penalty was a good result, and other employers should take note.

He said it was time for WorkSafe to scrutinise the post-quake repairs being done in Christchurch.

In October, the health and safety regulator's investigation into Fletcher Construction's Canterbury home repair programme found the asbestos risks were very low.

But Mr West believed it had tested only 13 houses.