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Environmental Essentials named Finalist for Professoinal Services of the Year at the 2026 Styaffordshire Chambers Businss Awards:
Environmental Essentials has been announced as a finalist for the Professional Services of the Year Award at the 2026 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards, sponsored by Plinkfizz.
From its Staffordshire base, Environmental Essentials has grown into one of the UK’s largest testing, inspection and compliance organisations over 22 years, serving clients including the Houses of Parliament, the University of Oxford and Marks & Spencer. Four acquisitions since 2023 have broadened capability across asbestos consultancy, water hygiene, air hygiene, health and safety and occupational hygiene, with turnover rising by around 24% in the last year and further acquisitions already in the pipeline.
Professional standards run through everything. The firm holds UKAS accreditation and ISO certification across quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management. Quality Manager Rachel Rushton sits on HSE steering groups and contributes to the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants, giving the business a direct hand in shaping national industry policy.
Stuart Elford, Chief Executive of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “Environmental Essentials has built something genuinely impressive over 22 years, and the pace of growth they are now achieving through a well-executed acquisition strategy makes them an even more compelling business. The fact that their Quality Manager is actively shaping national policy in their sector tells you everything about how seriously they take professional standards. A very deserving finalist.”
The winners will be revealed at a gala awards ceremony at Uttoxeter Racecourse on Thursday 9 July 2026, followed by The After Party, a late-night celebration for finalists, winners and partners.
To find out more about the 2026 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards, visit staffordshirechambers.co.uk/awardstect their people, enhance performance, and reduce long‑term costs.
Environmental Essentials Winners Of Prestigious Sentinel Business Growth Award
Environmental Essentials are proud to announce that we have won the business growth award at the sentinel business awards. The Sentinel Business Awards rewards endeavour, enthusiasm and innovative thinking across a wide range of sectors.
More than 140 entries were received across 11 categories where a panel of expert judges had the difficult task of choosing just one winner in each category. More than 420 of the most influential people in Business gathered at the Kings Hall (Stoke-on-Trent) to acknowledge the effort being made across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire to ensure a prosperous future for the region.
This new prestigious award sponsored by Dains Accountants & Business Advisor's was awarded to the business that demonstrated future or actual growth in financial terms or through product development, market development, people development and through sales and marketing initiatives.
Since formation in 2004 Environmental Essentials have grown to employ over 180 people across 6 regional offices. There are no signs of our growth slowing with plans to open another branch in Bristol in the near future. Director Richard Powner said "This year has been particularly exciting for us. We have secured work as consultants to Marks & Spencer and a large pub, restaurant chain, and it looks as if there's lots of exciting things to come"
Everyone here at Environmental Essentials feels incredibly proud to have won this award which is testament to the continued hard work and contribution towards the growth and success of the business shown by all of our employees.
Environmental Essentials are pleased to announce that it is the first and currently the only company to have received UKATA and IATP certification for an online Refresher Asbestos Awareness Training Course.
The course has been designed to complement previous training and features a comprehensive Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to ensure the training meets the HSE guidelines for providing refresher training and ensures the users receive appropriate training based on their exact needs. As with our full course, the refresher training is taught in a modular format covering:
· Training Needs Analysis – New feature
· What is Asbestos
· Uses of Asbestos
· Health Effects
· Legislation
· Emergency Procedures
· Best Practices – New Feature
For more details please contact the E-learning team on 0800 0542354.
Current Opportunities at Environmental Essentials:
In The News:
Football legend Stuart Pearce fears risk of deadly asbestos - 30 January 2015
England football star Stuart Pearce is blowing the whistle on asbestos after revealing he could have breathed in the deadly dust while working part time as an electrician during his early football career.
The Nottingham Forest manager and former Newcastle and England left back fears his ignorance about the fatal fibre when he worked for four years as an electrician, means there’s a real possibility he could develop a deadly asbestos related disease in the future.
While safe work with asbestos has come a long way since Pearce was working as an electrician in the early 1980s, it remains a very real danger today. HSE estimates 1.3 million tradespeople are still potentially at risk of being exposed to the microscopic fibres that can prove fatal if breathed in.
Pearce said: “I was working as an electrician for four and a half years and it’s chilling to think I could have been exposed to it without knowing, we were simply ignorant about the risks back then.
“Today there’s no excuse – most people know how dangerous asbestos is but many think it’s a thing of the past, it’s not, it’s still there. It can be found in walls, ceilings, even floor tiles and guttering – basically in any type of building built before the year 2000”.
http://press.hse.gov.uk/2015/suffolk-company-in-court-for-unsafe-asbestos-removal
1.3 million tradespeople at risk from dangers of asbestos - 9th October 2014
Health and Safety Executive launches new safety campaign as an average of 20 tradespeople die every week from asbestos related diseases
Tradespeople, including construction workers, carpenters and painters and decorators, could come into contact with deadly asbestos on average more than 100 times a year* according to a new survey commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)**.
As well as illustrating how often tradespeople can be exposed to asbestos, the survey revealed some common myths believed by those at risk, with 1 in seven (14 per cent) believing that drinking a glass of water will help protect them from the deadly dust and one in four (27 per cent) thinking that opening a window will help to keep them safe.
Brothers given custodial sentence for exposing workers to asbestos
Two Stoke-on-Trent brothers with little or no experience of building and construction work have been given prison sentences after they exposed workers to asbestos.
HSE review of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Approved Code of Practice
http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/hseboard/2013/041213/pnovb13108.pdf
Queen announces support for asbestos victims 08 May 2013
Legislation will be introduced to ensure sufferers of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma receive compensation where no liable employer or insurer can be traced, it has been announced in the Queen’s Speech.
As well as introducing the Mesothelioma Bill, today’s Speech – which marked the official opening of Parliament (8 May) – formally announced the Government’s plans to exempt the self-employed from health and safety law, in situations where their work poses no potential risk of harm to others.
Architects' failure risked workers lives – 4th February 2013
An architects' practice has been prosecuted after builders were potentially exposed to dangerous asbestos fibres during construction work at Aberystwyth Rugby Club in Mid Wales.
Aberystwyth Magistrates today (4 February) heard that Dilwyn Roberts Penseiri/Architects Ltd failed to pass on vital information about the presence of asbestos insulation board to builders before they removed soffits from an end wall at the clubhouse in January 2012.
The situation came to light during a routine inspection of the work by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, who found remains of damaged asbestos insulation boards on the gable end of the clubhouse.
Hospital trust in court for asbestos failures – 18th January 2013
A North East hospital trust has been fined after contractors were unwittingly exposed to asbestos fibres at Sunderland Eye Infirmary.
Sunderland Magistrates' Court heard today that over the weekend of 24/25 March 2012, contractors at the infirmary on Queen Alexandra Road drilled through door surrounds on a ward to install cables.
The following day concerns regarding the work were raised by a member of Trust staff and it was confirmed that the door surrounds were made of asbestos insulating board.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust had an asbestos survey that clearly showed there was asbestos in the door surrounds but, despite several site meetings between the Trust and the contractors, no information on the location or condition of any asbestos was given to the contractors.