Asbestos

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Asbestos is a hazardous substance. This is why many rules have been laid down regulating how we deal with asbestos. Asbestos removal companies and asbestos inventory companies must therefore hold the correct certificates. When a certified company violates the rules, their certificate can be suspended or revoked, preventing the company from continuing its operations. We assist companies facing these problems.

Violating the rules

Most of the work involving asbestos may only be carried out by a certified company. If a non-certified company still carries out that work, the Labour Inspectorate can impose fines. Think, for example, of a school caretaker who removes an asbestos-containing slab himself, knowingly or unknowingly. This could lead to high fines. If the environmental department finds that the asbestos rules have been violated, it can either issue a penalty order itself or issue a summons to the economic criminal court.

High costs

Asbestos can give rise to emergencies. For example, should an asbestos-containing building burns down, it will spread asbestos particles into the surrounding area. The Municipal Executive can then require the owner of the building to remove (or to instruct the removal of) the asbestos contamination immediately. This could lead to very high costs.

What we do

We help organisations find their way through the maze of rules surrounding asbestos. These include, for example, asbestos remediators or removers whose certificates are at risk of imminent suspension by the certification authority. Or a company or institution subject to an administrative fine by the Labour Inspectorate. Increasingly, criminal law is also being applied in this respect. This is the case when an environmental authority finds that asbestos rules have been violated. This may be followed by a penalty order or even a criminal hearing in the economic criminal court.