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Egg carton company fined over asbestos

→ March 6 2006

Following a successful prosecution of egg carton manufacture Omni-Pac (UK) Ltd, the Health and Safety Executive has reminded companies and contractors of the dangers of asbestos.

The Great Yarmouth-based company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £86,000 at Norwich crown court after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety law.

The case came about after HSE inspectors examined the condition of asbestos-containing materials at the firm’s site in South Denes Road in October 2003.

Air samples showed high levels of asbestos at the site. The primary source was damaged and poorly maintained asbestos insulation on top of dryers used to produce papier-maché egg cartons.

The company had failed to follow its own procedures, particularly covering materials in inaccessible areas, so people may have been exposed to asbestos fibres over a long period.

Omni-pac pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, held at Great Yarmouth magistrates court, to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Paul Carter, HSE investigating inspector, said: ’This case demonstrates that the HSE takes the failure to properly manage risks from asbestos extremely seriously. Businesses need to ensure that they are complying with the law.’ Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in Britain, causing around 3,500 deaths each year. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can lead to serious diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.