If your commercial property has asbestos anywhere within its structure you’ll probably know how important it is for you to take the appropriate precautions when working with the material. Nowadays, most commercial property owners will be aware of the issues surrounding this material that was so commonly used in everything from cement and plastics, to insulation, decorative ceiling tiles and paint. So why is M&S in court over their alleged abuse of health and safety regulations when handling the stuff?
Firstly, it should be pointed out that there are a number of different types of asbestos, some more dangerous than others, and the care with which you conduct yourself when around the material does to a large extent depend on its form as it’s the dust that lodges itself in your lungs that can cause all manner of nasty symptoms and illnesses. With the correct handling, the removal or maintenance of asbestos in your commercial property can be carried out without problems, but this is not apparently what happened in the refurbishment work that M&S carried out in their Plymouth, Bournemouth and Reading stores.
The allegation is that M&S management put style ahead of safety by cutting corners on the measures they should have used to prevent asbestos fibres from being released – putting customers, contractors and staff in danger. Apparently they were more worried about the works looking ‘unsightly’ than employing the correct safety measures. The £17 million refurbishment at the Plymouth store, for instance, took far longer than expected when more asbestos was found than expected; the prosecuting council has said this shows that adequate surveys were not carried out, despite M&S’s own code of practice for handling situations like this.
The courts are expected to take several months to hear this case and make their judgement, but if you own a commercial property that may or does contain asbestos it is essential that you follow the guidelines set out by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 whenever you do anything to disturb the material. As commercial property owners we have a responsibility to those who use them as a place of business, those who work in them and those who visit them to do our best to keep them safe from harm. Don’t find yourself in court – respect the inherent dangers associated with anything containing asbestos.
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