A North Wales waste and recycling company has been fined £36,000 after workers were found to have no access to basic washing facilities and had not received asbestos awareness training.

World Care (Wales) Limited was prosecuted after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found employees at its site were sorting waste and recyclable materials by hand without suitable welfare facilities.

Llandudno Magistrates’ Court heard workers had no access to warm running water, soap or a way to dry themselves after handling waste materials which could potentially have been contaminated with asbestos.

Inspectors also discovered that asbestos had previously been brought onto the site, but employees had not been given the necessary awareness training to understand the risks and how to protect themselves.

The HSE said the company had received enforcement action on several occasions over an 11-year period, with previous concerns relating to welfare standards and training.

HSE Inspector James Benton said the health risks linked to asbestos exposure were well known, but the company had failed to provide workers with the facilities needed to protect themselves.

He said: “Basic welfare provision is essential to ensure that employees can clean themselves at work, to help prevent exposure to harmful microorganisms.

“After being told of the risks, this company repeatedly failed to provide adequate welfare facilities such as soap and running water and failed to provide asbestos awareness training to employees.”

World Care (Wales) Limited, based at Tre Marl Industrial Estate in Llandudno Junction pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £8,867 in costs following the hearing at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on 6 July 2026. It has opted to pay the amount over a 16-month period.

The HSE said asbestos must not be disposed of in standard bin bags or skips and warned that recent inspections across the waste industry had found widespread non-compliance, particularly at asbestos landfill sites and facilities processing contaminated soil.

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.