Fines over Hebridean Princess Asbestos Exposure

A tour operator and a ship management firm have been fined after workers were exposed to asbestos during the refurbishment of a luxury cruise ship.

All Leisure Holidays Ltd and Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd have been prosecuted after arranging work to be carried out on board the Hebridean Princess, built in 1964, without an asbestos survey being carried out.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the companies after hearing that two men were hired to remove panels and fixings from the Tiree Lounge, to reduce the amount of combustible material on the ship.

After the case, HSE Inspector Victoria Wise, said: “All Leisure Holidays Ltd and Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd both failed to ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment was made of the risk created by the presence of asbestos and therefore did not take the steps required in order to comply with the regulations

“As a result the two men inadvertently disturbed the asbestos and spread the fibres. In doing so they were potentially exposed to a substance that is known to cause diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.”

Andrew Weir Shipping, in Edinburgh, was fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay £5,829 costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

All Leisure Holidays Ltd, in West Sussex, also pleaded guilty and was fined a total of £6,000 and ordered to pay £5,640 costs.

Teesside Magistrate’s Court heard that the Hebridean Princess, whose routes include the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, had a refit and was bought in April 2009 by All Leisure Holidays Ltd who engaged Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd to manage the vessel.