Asbestos News
British company prosecuted after workers are exposed to asbestos
A British company was recently charged with violating the Control of Asbestos Regulations after employees were exposed to warehouses containing the dangerous material. Fosters of Thrybergh was held responsible for allowing six employees to be subjected to a work environment contaminated by asbestos.Fosters of Thrybergh and its sister company, Rotherman Bonding Company, were both informed by a surveyor of the presence of asbestos in two warehouses they owned. However, staff still continued to work in the dangerous location until the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) banned entry to the buildings.
After conducting a survey of the warehouses, HSE found 90 percent of samples contained significant amounts of asbestos. Inspector Mark Welsh reported that the incident could have easily been avoided if Fosters of Thrybergh had not ignored the information provided by the surveyor or completed a survey for asbestos.
The inhalation of deadly asbestos mineral fibers causes a number of serious illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the thin membrane that lines many of the body's internal organs.
7/12/11
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