Asbestos Litigation

Marks and Spencer, a retailer located in the UK, was recently convicted after it reportedly put workers and the public at risk of being exposed to asbestos during renovation work at two stores.

According to a release from the Health and Safety Executive, Britain's workplace safety authority, the renovation work in question was completed between 2006 and 2007 at stores in Reading and Bournemouth.

Winchester Crown Court reportedly heard that Marks and Spencer did not allow for enough time and space to complete the asbestos abatement at the Reading location, with contractors forced to work overnight to perform the work.

At the Bournemouth store, the court heard that the main contractor, Wilmott Dixon Construction Ltd., did not properly plan the monitoring of the asbestos-containing materials being removed.

"There are very real lessons here for the country's large retailers and other organizations engaging in programmes of refurbishment, that they must allow enough time and resource to carry out work without endangering anyone," said HSE Principal Inspector Charles Gilby.

Asbestos exposure has been proven to cause a number of deadly diseases including malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.