By Phil Coleman

Last updated 11:49, Saturday, 11 October 2008

A UNION has demanded the sacking of a Cumbrian housing chief after a TV documentary claimed his staff and tenants may have been exposed to asbestos.

Patrick Leonard, managing director, of Carlisle Housing Association (CHA), rejected the claims, saying the association has been given a clean bill of health.

CHA officials say they are launching an investigation.

According to the BBC's Inside Out, workers who had to drill into asbestos were refused masks.

Managers also failed to provide them with the appropriate protective clothing, and failed to train workers in safely handling the potentially deadly material.

CHA yesterday confirmed it will investigate the claims but could not say whether this would include any independent scrutiny.

UCATT, the Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians, suggested Mr Leonard blamed some workers for the risks they faced.

Their evidence is a an interview which Mr Leonard did for the documentary in which he is recorded saying: “The employee has shared responsibility with the manager for health and safety…..The responsibility is on both sides, it is shared responsibility.”

Alan Ritchie, UCATT’s general secretary, said: “Patrick Leonard’s comments are absolutely disgraceful.

“Workers and tenants are left fearing for their health and he has the audacity to try to absolve himself from blame. His position is entirely untenable and he must be replaced immediately.”

Mr Ritchie claimed senior managers in housing associations and other privatised social housing organisations exposed some workers to risk during asbestos removal operations.

“These problems would not occur under traditional local authority control,” he said.

The union also expressed concern over a suggestion the Health and Safety Executive failed to properly investigate complaints from workers and tenants about asbestos in its houses.

“There has been a huge loss of confidence in the HSE,” added Mr Ritchie.

Mr Leonard said: “The Health and Safety Executive carried out an investigation into CHA’s management of asbestos materials less than six months ago and found no evidence that workers or tenants were likely to have been exposed to asbestos during routine maintenance work.

“We have received no evidence from the BBC to support these claims but I am determined that we do everything possible to reassure tenants that these procedures have been carried out safely and we have therefore launched a thorough investigation into the allegations.”

PColeman@cngroup.co.uk