French Uphold Landmark Asbestos Ruling
A French court of appeals in Douai announced last week that they are upholding a ruling to fine the manufacturer of power generation equipment for exposing its workers to dangerous asbestos dust.
According to an article in Safety and Health Practitioner Magazine, the ruling is a first in France, because the company has also been ordered to pay damages to all employees exposed to the risk, regardless of whether they have been directly affected or not.
The company in question is Alstom Power Boilers in the town of Lily-lez-Lannoy. It was alleged that from 1998 to 2001, the company exposed employees to asbestos dust in what the court described as a “deliberate violation” of the firm’s health and safety obligations. Alstom was also accused of not providing sufficient information for workers regarding protection from asbestos exposure including the failure to provide any sort of protective clothing or masks.
So far, seven of the company’s employees have died and about 30 percent of Alstom’s workforce has developed some sort of asbestos-related illness.
“On Thursday, 6 March, the French Court of Appeals ruled to uphold Alstom Power Boilers’ €75000 fine - the maximum penalty available,” the article notes. However, at the same time, former plant manager Bernard Gomez had his suspended prison sentence reduced from nine months to just three months. His €3000 fine, however, was upheld at appeal.
