Company fined after five workers are exposed to deadly asbestos
16:17 - 11/08/2010
Company fined after five workers are ...
A shop fitting company has been fined £4,000 and order to pay a further £3,125 in costs after five workers were exposed to asbestos fibres while carrying out work at Manchester’s Arndale Centre.
Eastern Regional Shopfitters Ltd, who are based near Cambridge, pleaded guilty to breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Trafford Magistrate’s Court.
The court heard how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had decided to prosecute after the company ignored a report which stated that asbestos was present in a shop that it was working on.
A total of five people – two workers for Eastern Regional Shopfitters and three management staff at the Arndale Centre – were unknowingly exposed to the potentially deadly fibres. The two shop fitters had spent five days ripping out the old shop fittings before they realised that asbestos had been used in some parts of the ceiling.
One of the shop fitters, Mark Green, aged 45, says: “I hope that companies in the construction industry, no matter what their size, now begin to take asbestos more seriously. They should put everyone who works for them on asbestos awareness courses because workers need to be more aware.”
Pete Stock, Business Development and E-learning Manager at First Response, agrees: “Exposure to asbestos is still the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Many people don’t realise that it kills around 4,000 people every year. If your business activities may bring your workers into contact with asbestos, you need to make them aware of the risks involved and the appropriate safety measures to take.”
First Response Training can offer an online Asbestos Awareness training course which is just 30 minutes in duration and covers risk assessments, prevention and control.
While carrying out its investigation into Eastern Regional Shopfitters Ltd, the HSE found that, in addition to exposing workers to the substance, the company had neglected to carry out a suitable assessment of the asbestos and had carried out asbestos removal without a license.
HSE Inspector, Tom Merry, says: “Five people now have to live with the knowledge that they may become ill with a life-threatening lung disease. Shop fitting and property maintenance companies must treat the risks from asbestos seriously so more lives aren't put in danger in the future.”
To find out more information about First Response Training’s Asbestos e-learning course, visit their website. They also offer a wide range of direct provision health and safety courses, including COSHH Awareness and Essentials of Health and Safety training. Call one of their advisors to find out more.
Eastern Regional Shopfitters Ltd, who are based near Cambridge, pleaded guilty to breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Trafford Magistrate’s Court.
The court heard how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had decided to prosecute after the company ignored a report which stated that asbestos was present in a shop that it was working on.
A total of five people – two workers for Eastern Regional Shopfitters and three management staff at the Arndale Centre – were unknowingly exposed to the potentially deadly fibres. The two shop fitters had spent five days ripping out the old shop fittings before they realised that asbestos had been used in some parts of the ceiling.
One of the shop fitters, Mark Green, aged 45, says: “I hope that companies in the construction industry, no matter what their size, now begin to take asbestos more seriously. They should put everyone who works for them on asbestos awareness courses because workers need to be more aware.”
Pete Stock, Business Development and E-learning Manager at First Response, agrees: “Exposure to asbestos is still the biggest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Many people don’t realise that it kills around 4,000 people every year. If your business activities may bring your workers into contact with asbestos, you need to make them aware of the risks involved and the appropriate safety measures to take.”
First Response Training can offer an online Asbestos Awareness training course which is just 30 minutes in duration and covers risk assessments, prevention and control.
While carrying out its investigation into Eastern Regional Shopfitters Ltd, the HSE found that, in addition to exposing workers to the substance, the company had neglected to carry out a suitable assessment of the asbestos and had carried out asbestos removal without a license.
HSE Inspector, Tom Merry, says: “Five people now have to live with the knowledge that they may become ill with a life-threatening lung disease. Shop fitting and property maintenance companies must treat the risks from asbestos seriously so more lives aren't put in danger in the future.”
To find out more information about First Response Training’s Asbestos e-learning course, visit their website. They also offer a wide range of direct provision health and safety courses, including COSHH Awareness and Essentials of Health and Safety training. Call one of their advisors to find out more.
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