Asbestos News

A contracting firm in the UK was recently fined for allowing its workers to be exposed to asbestos.

CLC Contractors Ltd. was fined £10,000 for the violations and ordered to pay more than £3,000 in costs, according to a release from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain's workplace safety agency.

The incident that led to the alleged asbestos violations occurred when workers for the contractor, who were working with a licensed asbestos contractor, began to perform work in an area that had not been cleared of asbestos. This resulted in four workers coming into contact with the naturally occurring, carcinogenic mineral.

Such work can have potentially deadly consequences as exposure to asbestos can cause malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

HSE inspector Barry Trudgian explained that the incident would not have happened if asbestos management procedures were followed.

"This incident could have been avoided if an adequate risk assessment had been made before the work started and communicated clearly to the workforce," he said. "Exposure to asbestos can have serious long-term consequences for your health and precautions must be taken to minimize any risks when working on buildings."