Survey missed asbestos in fire-ravaged building

Industrial unit’s owner says he knew nothing of dangerous material

A building survey failed to spot asbestos in a large Dundee industrial unit that was later destroyed in a major blaze.

The current owner of the Forties Road unit, Imram Amin, said he provided a single-page report to the police stating the potentially harmful material was not used in its construction.

He bought the building, which was gutted by the June 7 blaze, from Wood Group in 2011.

Police and firefighters looking into its cause have not ruled out arson.

All UK commercial buildings should be assessed for asbestos and if found, its volume, where it is and its condition should be noted and checked annually.

It is unclear why asbestos in the roof cement was not identified before the fire, which smouldered for days.

It raises the possibility the carcinogen was also used elsewhere, such as in pipe insulation, which poses a far higher risk.

The issue meant the first firefighters and police on the scene were unaware of the material, however the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service say its response was not impacted “in any way”.

Multi-agency meetings were held the next day but the presence of asbestos was only publicly confirmed two days later.

Mr Amin, who owns A1 Car Wash and cleaning firm Dr Moss, said he could not have known of the problem and always believed the building was asbestos-free. He said: “We had no knowledge of it. “I sent the report, which said there was no asbestos, to the police in the morning the day after the fire started.

“We are devastated by the fire. The price will be double to clean it up because of the asbestos. It’s looking at about £300,000 to remove it all but our insurance should cover everything.”

Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 states the dutyholder of a non-domestic premises should take reasonable steps to find out if asbestos containing material (ACM) has been used in a building.

If dutyholders don’t have a plan to deal with asbestos and put it into action, they face being fined up to £20,000 and

“The price will be double to clean it up because of the asbestos. IMRAM AMIN

may be imprisoned for up to 12 months.

A serious breach could see those responsible given an unlimited fine and/ or imprisonment of up to two years.

Police Scotland and the Health & Safety Executive say they are not investigating the issue.

SFRS Group Commander Graham Smart said: “We take every necessary precaution when we attend...any incident to identify hazards and risks.

“We ensure adequate control measures are in place before deploying personnel into the incident, and these are constantly reviewed in a co-ordinated, multi-agency approach with our partners.

“On this occasion, our fire and rescue response to this fire was not impacted in any way, and our firefighters worked swiftly and safely in fighting the fire.”

Wood Group failed to respond when asked for comment.

The unit had been occupied by Carpet Reclaim Ltd, which recycles old carpets.

The damage caused by the fire is estimated at more than £1 million.

Picture: Mhairi Edwards. Smoke billows from the burning building in Whitfield, which was later found to have asbestos in its roof cement.