Parliament renovation halted by shock asbestos exposure
Renovation work at the Houses of Parliament has reportedly been stopped after staff were exposed to asbestos.
Contractors and as many as nine members of parliamentary staff were exposed to the toxic substance between October and November last year, the Huffington Post first reported. The Health and Safety Executive has been called in to help following the possible exposure of parliamentary workers and renovation work has been paused.
“The House is currently working with our contractors, supply chain and the HSE following an incident of possible asbestos exposure on the estate,” a spokesperson for the House of Commons told the Huffington Post, confirming that a “pause” in construction projects was implemented to ensure “lessons learned” from the incident are implemented.
The Houses of Parliament are undergoing a painstaking restoration project, which could take as long as 20 years to complete and cost as much as £14bn, far exceeding original estimates of £4bn.
The Grade I listed building suffers from leaking roofs, fire risks and asbestos hazards and annual maintenance costs exceed £100m. A decade old parliamentary report observed that if it “were not a listed building of the highest heritage value, its owners would probably be advised to demolish and rebuild”.
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