Despite the dangers of exposure to asbestos being well known, some firms are continuing to ignore the risks and are continuing to put their staff and others at significant risk.
I was shocked and angry to read that a decorating company has been fined because they exposed their employees, agency staff and members of the public to asbestos.
The company named MJC Decorating and Refurbishing Ltd was working on a refurbishment project at offices in Poole. The company began removing ceilings within the offices without assessing the risks and carrying out a suitable survey to check whether asbestos was present.
The ceilings were covered with asbestos insulation board. When removing the insulation board the company took no precautions. The Health and Safety Executive found widespread contamination and spread of dangerous asbestos fibres inside and outside the building.
MJC not only put at risk the health of their employees and agency workers on the site they also put at risk members of the public who may have come into close contact with the building or the contaminated clothes of those working within the building.
Innocent employees and members of the public have been put at risk needlessly Regulations dealing with asbestos safety have existed for many years and should be one of the first considerations for employers working in areas where there could be a risk of exposure to asbestos.
