Firm faces health and safety charges
A West Coast company has been charged with putting workers in danger of asbestos exposure during the demolition of an old hotel.
Larsen’s Hotel was demolished at the end of 2017, but the rubble has still not been cleared from the site on Westport’s main street.
Site owner Mcmanus Hotel Ltd faces two health and safety charges, which will be heard in the Westport District Court on February 28.
Mcmanus Hotel Ltd is owned by brothers Barrie and Ross Forsyth. They own the Mcmanus Hotel across the road from the demolition site on Palmerston St.
A Worksafe spokeswoman said the company allegedly failed to ensure workers were not at risk of death or serious injury from asbestos exposure, and did not ensure the excavator provided to the contractor was fit for purpose.
She said under Health and Safety legislation, Mcmanus Hotel Ltd should have identified the risks and ensured the contractor was competent to do the demolition. An asbestos survey should have been carried out before work started. The second charge related to the risk of falling objects.
Barrie Forsyth said they had planned to build motel units, a campervan park, and a laundromat on the site. They got quotes to remove the rubble and the cost was ‘‘horrendous’’.
‘‘It would have broken us. We did get some cheaper options, but we had Worksafe step in and take us to court so we’re just waiting to see how that is going to go. It could end up costing us a lot of money. It has already cost us thousands,’’ he said.
The spokeswoman said Worksafe had been involved with the site since early 2018.
It had issued several notices to the company, including an improvement notice to manage the potential risk to the public from exposure to dust.
‘‘Worksafe inspectors also visited the site, at which point fencing and scrim [netting] was in place. Dust suppression was being managed depending on conditions and advice from a competent contractor in asbestos abatement and land remediation.’’
There had been one complaint about dust over the Christmas period and Worksafe spoke with Mcmanus Hotel about water suppression