Warning issued over asbestos appointments
Construction
3rd November 2009
The Employment Agency Standards inspectorate (EAS) has issued a warning to agencies in the UK after they failed to obtain the required Health and Safety Executive (HSE) licences before advertising for asbestos removal workers.
A total of 11 companies have been reprimanded by the organisation for the breach of standards, although no staff had yet been placed when an inspection was carried out.
According to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, necessary action to prevent risks to workers had not been taken and companies that do not comply with legislation could face a potential ban from trading or criminal proceedings.
Parliamentary under-secretary Lord Young remarked: "The recession should not become an excuse to deny people their basic rights at work."
Those seeking liability insurance may be interested to note that the HSE claims asbestos is the leading cause of work-related deaths in Britain, as fibres can cause a number of diseases and conditions, some of which are fatal, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and diffuse pleural thickening.
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