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LATEST NEWS & EVENTS M&S asbestos conviction a 'wake-up call for the industry'  Members of the public, construction workers and staff at two Marks and Spencer (M&S) stores could be seeking advice from an asbestosis lawyer after the retailer was convicted of failing to protect people from dangerous materials. The company, along with Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd and PA Realisations Ltd (formerly Pectel Ltd), was prosecuted after people were put at risk of exposure to asbestos at shops in Reading and Bournemouth while refurbishment work was carried out between 2006 and 2007. Winchester Crown Court heard that M&S did not allocate sufficient time and space for the removal of asbestos-containing materials at the Reading store. Contractors had to work overnight in enclosures on the shop floor, attempting to remove small areas of asbestos before the shop opened to the public each day. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) alleged that M&S failed to ensure that the work complied with the appropriate minimum standards set out in legislation. Charles Gilby, HSE principal inspector, said: "This verdict is a wake-up call for the retail industry. Client accountability and responsibility is at the heart of this case, because asbestos can and does kill." Figures from the HSE show that asbestos kills around 4,000 people in the UK every year. Posted by Paul Stevens 
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