A Palmerston North property owner has been fined $32,000 after repeatedly ignoring orders to stop work on a building containing asbestos.
Sanal Lonappan failed to cease work in the contaminated area and also removed warning notices.
Lonappan was sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court after continuing refurbishment work in defiance of a prohibition notice requiring activity at the site to cease.
WorkSafe said it first issued notices in May 2022 over concerns of the presence of asbestos.
Inspectors later found work continuing in breach of those orders, with Lonappan also removing official notices posted at the building’s entrances and failing to provide requested information.
WorkSafe area manager Carl Baker said the defiance was “repeated, deliberate, and ultimately unsuccessful”.
“This was not a one-off lapse. There were multiple chances to engage and put things right. Ignoring our notices did not avoid accountability – it led to a conviction and a fine.”
Baker said a prohibition notice meant work must stop immediately.
“That notice exists because there is a risk of serious harm. It is a legal requirement, not a suggestion.”
WorkSafe said the risks were significant, with asbestos-containing soffit linings being removed from a canopy directly above a public footpath.
Disturbing asbestos without proper controls can release fibres into the air, posing a danger to workers and the public.
Asbestos remained the leading cause of work-related death in New Zealand, linked to around 220 deaths each year, often decades after exposure.
Lonappan was convicted under multiple provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, including breaching a prohibition notice, failing to assist inspectors and intentionally removing official notices.