Henry Bohlen, 63 and from Barry, was supervising the refurbishment of the Monwel Hankinson facility in Newport, which manufactures equipment for people with disabilities. He ordered Pontypridd bricklayer Justin Jones to demolish a wall with a hammer and chisel, even though he knew the fascia boards contained asbestos.
The resulting plumes of dust released asbestos fibres into the air.
When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases which are responsible for around 4,000 deaths a year. There are four main diseases caused by asbestos, all of which can develop much later after exposure - they are mesothelioma (which is always fatal); lung cancer (almost always fatal); asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be very debilitating) and diffuse pleural thickening.
Mr Jones continued working as he had been told to until another manager realised the danger and told him to stop. Mr Jones had to undergo emergency decontamination as a result.
Architects employed by Newport City Council, which partly runs the Monwel Hankinson facility, had specifically designed the refurbishment work to avoid disturbing any of the asbestos-containing materials. As site manager, Mr Bohlen was aware of this element of the refurbishment plan.
Mr Bohlen later informed Newport City Council that additional work was needed on the building and, rather than waiting for the authorisation or amended plans from the architects, he went ahead and told Mr Jones to carry out the work which led to him being exposed to the potentially deadly asbestos.
Henry Bohlen pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at work etc. Act 1974.
HSE inspector Liam Osborne said: "Henry Bohlen was a very experienced construction site manager and, by his own admission was aware of asbestos, the risks to health and the correct procedures that ought to have been followed.
"Rather than wait for the architect's plans, consult the site survey, or if that was not available, to have taken a few minutes to check with other parties, Mr Bohlen went ahead and instructed Mr Jones to do the work, which ultimately exposed him to the potentially deadly asbestos.
"This is something Mr Jones will have to live with for the rest of his life - wondering whether his site manager's lack of consideration might lead to him contracting a deadly disease."
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
