A SANDBLASTING company in Great Harwood has been fined £26,000 for using a banned substance.

Andrew Thomson, trading as Thomson Sandblast, of Alan Ramsbottom Way, pleaded guilty at Hyndburn Magistrates Court to six charges of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by using sand containing free silica.

He was fined a total of £26,000 and ordered to pay £24,000 costs.

Blasting of articles using sand containing free silica has been banned since 1950 and can lead to silicosis, a lung disease which is progressive, irreversible and can continue to develop after exposure ends.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) principal inspector Dorothy Shaw said: "When the premises were visited the general conditions were found to be poor.

“Vehicles were being dry blasted using what was suspected to be sand in a building that was not fully enclosed or had a filtered extraction unit.

“The respiratory protection equipment being used was in poor condition putting employees at risk from silicosis, which is a chronic obstructive, pulmonary disease characterised by breathlessness and a chronic cough.”

The HSE said it sets limits for exposure to workplace hazardous substances and employers have a duty to prevent exposure, in this case, by substituting the sand for a safer alternative which does not contain free silica.

Where prevention is not reasonably practical, employers have a secondary duty to control exposure by using appropriate work processes, systems and controls and the use of suitable work equipment and materials.

When passing sentence on Mr Thomson, magistrates said there had been a complete disregard for health and safety and that they had considered a custodial sentence.

Health and Safety Inspectors visited the premises on June 29 2006.

A Prohibition Notice was served prohibiting sand blasting without adequate respiratory protection equipment. Improvement notices were served for failing to maintain respiratory protection equipment, failing to provide suitable facilities for eating and drinking and for failing to provide engineering control measures.

The premises were revisited on February 6 2007 and it was found that conditions had not changed and the enforcement notices had not been complied with.

A further Prohibition Notice was served banning sand blasting without adequate respiratory equipment.