This week eleven former managers of Italian tyre giant Pirelli have been convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of some 20 workers who were exposed to asbestos.
A court in Milan gave the managers, which included two ex-CEOs, jail terms of up to seven years and eight months.
All eleven were Pirelli board members between 1979 and 1989 when, prosecutors said, workers were exposed to asbestos at the firm’s Milan factory.
Lawyers for Pirelli have said they will appeal against the convictions.
They said they were confident in how managers responded “on the basis of scientific evidence available to date”
All the workers died from tumours or lung disease that prosecutors said was linked to asbestos exposure.
Relatives for a number of the victims were in court and welcomed the convictions.