Asbestos News
UK contractor fined for exposing workers to asbestos during demolition
A contractor in the UK was recently fined for allowing workers to be exposed to asbestos during construction work in South East London.The Health and Safety Executive - Britain's workplace safety organization - fined Fadil Adil £19,300 for the violations that allegedly occurred in June of 2010.
Specifically, the work involved the demolition of a building that contained asbestos sheeting. Adil's company was not licensed to handle asbestos and workers reportedly used sledgehammers to tear down the asbestos sheeting.
Such work presents a great deal of danger as exposure to asbestos can cause a range of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that typically affects the lungs.
"Sadly, this kind of incident is all too familiar because the defendant's actions meant that his colleagues were more than likely exposed to asbestos fibers," HSE Inspector Ian Seabrook said in a release. "The dangers of asbestos are well known; it is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK with around 1,000 tradesmen dying each year from asbestos-related diseases."
10/10/11
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