Firm fined after ignoring asbestos
24/08/2010
A Cambridge shop fitting firm is facing a bill in excess of £7,000 for willingly exposing five workers to asbestos at a shopping centre in Manchester.
Two employees of Eastern Regional Shopfitters (ERS) spent five days working on a project in the Arndale Centre before discovering the potentially fatal material. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said three other workers may have been exposed to the substance during the course of the job.
The HSE said the firm had ignored a report stating asbestos was present in the building.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to carry out a suitable assessment of the property, carrying out removal without a license, and exposing workers to asbestos.
Trafford Magistrates' Court fined ERS £4,000 and ordered it to pay £3,215 in costs.
HSE inspector Tom Merry said: "ERS knew asbestos was present in the shop but it didn't inform its workers and it didn't ensure it was dealt with safely."
"Abestos only becomes a risk if it is disturbed so the shop fitters could have worked safely if they knew where the asbestos was. It should either have been sealed or removed by a licensed contractor before the work started."
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