Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    AllGeotechnicalMiningInfrastructureMaterialsHazardsEnvironmentalSoftwarePolicy
    Safety
    Standard/Guideline
    Projects

    Builders fined £500 for asbestos failings: CDM compliance lessons for project teams

    December 12, 2025|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Builders fined £500 for asbestos failings: CDM compliance lessons for project teams

    First reported on The Construction Index

    30 Second Briefing

    A £500 fine has been imposed on McGrath Building & Joinery Contracts Ltd after HSENI found serious asbestos management failings during refurbishment of the Sacred Heart Chapel in Boho, Co. Fermanagh in November 2023. Investigators concluded the principal contractor did not adequately plan, manage or monitor works under Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, particularly around identifying and safely removing licensed asbestos. The Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court conviction signals continued regulatory focus on CDM-compliant asbestos surveys and licensed removal on small refurbishment projects.

    Technical Brief

    • Regulation 13(1) CDM (NI) 2016 breach centred on inadequate planning, management and monitoring duties.
    • Failure related specifically to identifying and arranging safe removal of *licensed* asbestos materials, not non-licensed work.
    • McGrath Building & Joinery Contracts Ltd, based in Belcoo, acted as principal contractor and duty-holder under CDM.
    • Guilty plea was entered to a single health and safety offence at Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court.
    • HSENI inspector explicitly reiterated principal contractors’ obligation to co-ordinate health and safety “so far as reasonably practicable”.

    Our Take

    Among the 14 Hazards stories in our coverage, enforcement actions in Northern Ireland like this HSENI case are relatively rare compared with Great Britain, suggesting local contractors may underestimate how actively CDM (NI) 2016 is being applied on small refurbishment jobs.

    A £500 penalty for breaches at Sacred Heart Chapel signals that even low-value or community projects in Co. Fermanagh are now within scope for asbestos management scrutiny, which is likely to push smaller firms such as McGrath Building & Joinery Contracts Ltd towards formal surveys and method statements rather than informal practices.

    Because this incident is tagged under both Safety and Standard/Guideline within our 599 tag-matched pieces, it reinforces that regulators are using CDM designer/contractor duties (Regulation 13(1)) as a primary lever on asbestos rather than relying only on specialist asbestos regulations, which project managers should factor into their role allocations and documentation.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Melbourne sinkhole investigations: geotechnical lessons for tunnel project teams
    Hazards
    in 3 months

    Melbourne sinkhole investigations: geotechnical lessons for tunnel project teams

    A sinkhole roughly 8–10 m wide and several metres deep has opened on the AJ Burkitt Reserve sporting oval in Heidelberg, directly adjacent to the North East Link tunnel alignment in Melbourne’s northeast. Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority has confirmed the “surface hole” is in the vicinity of active tunnelling operations, leading to a work pause while engineers and emergency crews carry out geotechnical investigations and monitoring. No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but the area remains fully cordoned off pending cause determination and stability assessment.

    Coastal erosion planning and funding failures: risk lessons for UK asset engineers
    Hazards
    4 days ago

    Coastal erosion planning and funding failures: risk lessons for UK asset engineers

    A House of Commons committee warns that accelerating coastal erosion is putting UK transport corridors, utilities and other critical national infrastructure at growing risk, with some assets already within metres of receding cliff lines and undefended shorelines. MPs found current planning rules and fragmented funding streams delay or block schemes such as realignment of coastal roads, relocation of wastewater treatment works and reinforcement of rail embankments. The inquiry calls for a national coastal adaptation strategy, clearer responsibilities between the Environment Agency and local authorities, and long-term funding to prioritise defence, managed retreat or asset abandonment.

    Huws Gray £2.2m fine: conveyor guarding and safety lessons for engineers
    Hazards
    9 days ago

    Huws Gray £2.2m fine: conveyor guarding and safety lessons for engineers

    Huws Gray has been fined £2.2m plus full costs at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court after 56-year-old labourer Paul Coulson was fatally crushed by a three‑tonne pallet of timber on a conveyor at the Herringswell Sawmills site in Suffolk on 22 May 2024. HSE investigators found workers had entered the conveyor framework at least 19 times in five weeks despite warning signage, with no physical guarding or system change implemented until after the incident. Post‑accident measures now include fixed guarding to prevent access, unwrapping pallets before loading, and expanded CCTV coverage of all conveyor angles.

    Related Industries & Products

    Construction

    Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.

    QCDB-io

    Comprehensive quality control database for manufacturing, tunnelling, and civil construction with UCS testing, PSD analysis, and grout mix design management.