Rochdale workers exposed to asbestos fibres for five years 21 January 2014

Mansfield Soft Furnishings and director David Mansfield have been fined £30,000 and £10,000 respectively, plus costs of £20,000, for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act and flouting a prohibition notice – leading to workers being exposed to asbestos.

The re-upholstery firm was prosecuted after HSE (the Health and Safety Executive) found that up to 30 employees had been exposed to the airborne fibres for nearly five years at the firm's Rochdale factory.

Minshull Street Crown Court, in Manchester, was told that the company had moved into a unit at Meadowcroft Mill in September 2007 and created a mezzanine storage area in the eaves.

Workers put foam for furniture in the storage space, often it on the beams and underside of the roof, which it later emerged contained asbestos. As employees dragged the foam through the eaves before throwing it down onto the floor, layers of asbestos dust were released.

The court heard that an HSE inspector visited the company in June 2012 and noticed that material on the roof of the mezzanine looked similar to sprayed asbestos.

He issued an improvement notice after discovering that Mansfield had failed to arrange for an asbestos survey, despite employees raising concerns.

When a survey was completed, it revealed asbestos was present and that fibres were likely to have been spread throughout the building.

HSE served the company with a prohibition notice on 10 July 2012 banning access to the building until it had been decontaminated. However, Mansfield and another worker re-entered the building to remove furniture worth approximately £25,000 so it could be delivered to a client.

"Workers at Mansfield Soft Furnishings will have to live the rest of their lives knowing they're at risk of contracting a deadly lung disease, because of the actions of their employer," comments HSE Inspector David Norton.

Around 4,000 people die every year as a result of breathing in asbestos fibres, making it the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Health & Safety Executive

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.