Asbestos News
UK gift shop fined for exposing workers to asbestos
A specialist gift shop in the UK was recently hit with a £15,000 fine after it allegedly exposed some it its electrical contract workers to asbestos, the Bristol Evening Post reports.According to the news provider, Bristol Magistrates' Court heard that Bristol Guild of Applied Art allegedly did not take the proper safety precautions after it allowed one of its electricians to remove an asbestos sheet from the basement's ceiling.
The court heard that asbestos had been discovered in the basement in a report in 2004, but that no actions had been taken as a result.
It is crucial that asbestos is handled with care and properly removed when disturbed as exposure to the dangerous mineral can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.
"The asbestos in the basement had been identified in 2004 and hadn't been dealt with," said a prosecutor. "Our judgement was that the health-and-safety issue had gone to sleep at the Bristol Guild for four years and that no one was taking care of it."
4/1/11
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