A warning has been given to builders liability insurance holders after a subsidiary of one of the world's largest support service and construction companies potentially exposed Ministry of Defence (MoD) workers to deadly asbestos fibres.
Interserve (Defence), of Waterloo Road, London, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to breaching a number of regulations of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2002.
Yesterday, it was fined £33,000 with costs of £17,936.
It came after an asbestos survey undertaken in the boiler room at an MoD base in Bicester in 2005 found that the whole room was considered to be contaminated with asbestos and recommended that access to the room was restricted.
Interserve failed to follow the advice of the survey, thus potentially exposing workers to deadly asbestos fibres for over a year.
Matthew Lee, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, said: "Facilities managers are key to ensuring that effective management systems are in place to protect workers and to ensure that duty holders meet their legal responsibilities."
Each year, around 4,000 people dies from past exposure to asbestos, according to figures from the HSE.