Asbestos News
UK company fined for exposing employees to asbestos
A property management firm in the UK was recently ordered to pay £32,590 for asbestos violations.Calderdale Magistrates ordered MA Estates Ltd. to pay the fine after the company admitted to allowing employees to be exposed to asbestos during a June 2007 project, according to the Halifax Evening Courier.
During the project in question, a complaint was lodged with the Health and Safety Executive, the UK's federal health agency, that workers were removing asbestos from the roof of a building.
The firm's director, Michael Tyzack, and five employees reportedly did the work.
Tyzack spoke to the council and admitted that the work had been carried out, but he said that he was unaware that asbestos was present at the time
"We provided the workers with protective safety equipment but had no idea it was asbestos," he said.
It is vital that work involving asbestos is handled by trained professionals as exposure to the naturally occurring mineral can cause a range of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
1/14/11
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