Poundland in Ipswich Fined £565,000 Over Asbestos Failings

Well-known retailer Poundland has been fined £565,000 for a series of asbestos management failures. The Ipswich Borough Cancel has prosecuted the retailer after finding a range of failures at the Carr Street Store, between 2011 to 2018.

Although the retailer apologised for not having asbestos plans in place, they admitted to the health and safety offences, and they were ordered to pay £75,000 to the council during a hearing at the Crown Court.

Prior to taking on the store, which was a Woolworths beforehand, the retailer had an asbestos survey conducted which found several types of asbestos were present in various locations around the building. 

Whilst consultants were bought back to monitor the store, there was no ‘proper asbestos management plan for staff and visitors. This meant there were no precautions in place to ensure the asbestos stay restricted to certain areas, as required by law. 

Robust Asbestos Plans

Alasdair Ross, the council’s portfolio holder for community health said about this case:

“This case shows how important it is even for the largest businesses to take seriously their legal requirement to manage asbestos in the premises they use.”

“Asbestos kills around 5,000 workers per year, more than the number of people killed on roads.”

“In cases of serious and long-standing failure… Ipswich Borough Council will take enforcement action, even if that means bringing in criminal prosecution.”*

This shows the importance of thorough asbestos surveys, no matter the size of your business or the scale of your company, this is an essential part of keeping your staff and customers safe. If you would like to chat with us about asbestos management, just get in touch.

*Source: BBC News.