People Exposed To Asbestos In The Palace of Westminster

By James

Category: Industry

Renovations Meant More Than 100 People Exposed To Asbestos

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At least 117 individuals were potentially exposed to asbestos during renovation work at the Palace of Westminster. The restoration work was halted in February 2022 after asbestos was discovered in the Speaker's residential accommodation on 19th November of that year, though it has since resumed. Initially, workers were stood down on 9th of February.

Dr. John Benger, House of Commons clerk, informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the asbestos was likely released between 23-27 October 2022 but was not detected until 19 November. The incident was then reported to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on 10 February following initial investigations by the principal contractor.

PAC chair Meg Hillier questioned why the asbestos was only reported in February, nearly four months after it was discovered. Benger explained that there was ongoing dispute at various stages about whether the incident met the safety threshold. Although sampling results were below the threshold by the time it was detected, Benger noted that asbestos levels might have been notifiable earlier.

There was also disagreement over which party was responsible for reporting the discovery, as multiple teams, including the strategic estates team, the principal contractor, and subcontractor, were involved. Benger mentioned that this is an issue the HSE would investigate further.

Benger initially became aware of the asbestos discovery from a general safety report on 10th December 2022, which suggested that three individuals might have been affected. When asked why he did not take immediate action, he stated that there are frequent asbestos incidents, and the main concern is determining when levels become dangerous enough to notify the HSE.

The Speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, had vacated his residence for essential fire safety work when the asbestos was found. According to a report by the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body, the cost of renovations at the site has risen to between £14 billion and £22 billion, with restoration work potentially taking up to 76 years if Parliament members do not vacate the building, or between 19 and 28 years if they do.