Retail giant B&M has been fined £5,300 for exposing its employees to asbestos fibres at its store in Dalkeith.
An investigation by Midlothian Council’s Environmental Health officers found the firm to be in breach of health and safety regulations and it pleaded guilty to failing to prevent employees from being exposed to the potentially-deadly fibres at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
The court heard how, in January 2010 it was thought that smoke was coming from a light fitting in the store. The store manager at the time smashed a tile on the ceiling to gain access to the area and look into matters further, with an electrician eventually called out to rectify the problem.
In 2011, the council carried out an investigation into the premises and found that nearly a quarter of the tile remained in place. Debris from the broken tile was still on the floor and an analysis of the tile confirmed that it contained asbestos.
A subsequent investigation conducted by Midlothian Council established that the company’s asbestos management plan was actually insufficient. It served an improvement notice and ordered that the deficiencies in the plan were resolved.
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