Asbestos News
Fines for UK firms that exposed workers to asbestos
Two firms in the UK were recently fined for allowing workers to be exposed to asbestos.The Health and Safety Executive, Britain's federal workplace safety agency, cited retailer Arcadia and and shopfitting firm Vincents Ltd. for letting workers come in contact with asbestos while removing air conditioning and sprinkling systems from a Topshop store in Liverpool.
"It is shocking that workers were exposed to deadly asbestos fibers, and that the refurbishment work was allowed to happen without the proper control measures in place," HSE inspector Warren Pennington said. "Neither company took adequate action to prevent workers being exposed despite a survey alerting them that asbestos was present in the building."
The utmost care needs to be taken during renovation work in structures that contain asbestos as exposure to the deadly mineral can cause a number of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Pennington said that the work performed at the shop should have been undertaken by a licensed asbestos contractor.
Both firms were fined £15,000 in total for the asbestos violations, according to a HSE release.
3/18/11
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