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Marks & Spencer was found guilty in 2011 of putting customers, staff and construction workers at risk of asbestos exposure at its store in Reading during refurbishment work.
Along with other major retail groups including Asda and Boots, M&S joined the Retail Asbestos Working Group (RAWG), set up by specialist remediation contractor Silverdell, to publish the new guidance.
The purpose of the guide, called The Management of Asbestos Containing Materials in the Retail Sector, is to promote best-practice and provide guidance to retailers regarding their duties under the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012.
Independent asbestos consultants Martin Stear and Rob Blackburn co-authored the guidance.
British Retail Consortium policy advisor Michelle Irving said: “The BRC welcomes this new initiative to help our members and other retailers. While the retail sector isn’t alone in facing day-to-day challenges managing asbestos-containing materials, this guidance directly tackles the specific challenges retailers face, and provides up-to-date and practical advice. It will help retailers comply with the law and is useful to everyone in the sector, large or small.”
The Management of Asbestos Containing Materials in the Retail Sector can be downloaded from the BRC website at www.brc.org.uk/asbestos-guidance
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