October 9th, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fined and prosecuted a company that admitted exposing its workers to hazardous fumes from soldering equipment.
Employees at Turbo Power Systems’ plant in Gateshead had been working for up to five-and-a-half hours a day with rosin solder flux, the fumes of which are known to cause asthma.
The exposure occurred between May 2007 and May 2008 and many employees began to suffer problems with their respiratory health.
As a result, the HSE took the company to court for breaches of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. It was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs after admitting to safety failures.
HSE inspector Andrea Robbins said it had been "entirely foreseeable" that inappropriate risk assessment and control of chemicals would put the workforce at risk.
Rosin is a natural product which comes from pine sap. Fumes from rosin solder flux are a well-known cause of occupational asthma.
Tags: Andrea Robbins, Asthma, Breaches, Chemicals, Control Of Substances Hazardous To Health, Half Hours, Hazardous Fumes, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Health Regulations, Hse, Occupational Asthma, Respiratory Health, Risk Assessment, Safety Failures, Sap, Soldering Equipment, Turbo Power, Workforce
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May 1st, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must keep equipment in good working order after a worker was badly burned.
Harjit Singh Matharu was working for A1 Rewinds in Birmingham in July 2008, where he was working beneath a vehicle.
However, the oxyacetylene welding gun suddenly caught fire after chemicals leaked from it and Mr Mathuaru was engulfed by a fireball, badly burning his face and arms.
The HSE fined and prosecuted A1 Rewinds after it was found that the company had not maintained its hose equipment for 28 years.
Inspector Pam Folson said: "The hoses were so obviously badly perished that there is no excuse for this incident."
Risks of being burnt or scalded in the workplace should be eliminated by the employer where possible, or workers should be given appropriate safety clothing. If this does not happen and an employee is injured, they are likely to be eligible for compensation as a result of negligence.
Tags: 28 Years, A1, Chemicals, Excuse, Fireball, Folson, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Hoses, Hse, Matharu, Negligence, Oxyacetylene Welding, Pam, Safety Clothing, Welding Gun
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February 17th, 2009
A group of families are taking Corby borough council to the high court amid claims that it negligently contributed to their children’s birth defects.
Some 18 young people were born with defects including missing fingers, deformed feet and heart problems and the families claim that this is due to their mothers having breathed in toxic waste during the redevelopment of Corby steel works.
This occurred between 1984 and 1999 and disturbed large amounts of steel waste into the air.
Representing the children, their QC said: "These are lifelong deformities which have had and will have a tremendous impact in their everyday lives."
The families are attempting to claim millions of pounds in damages, accusing Corby borough council of failing to manage the redevelopment of the steel works properly.
Corby council denies the allegations and claims that the chemicals were released after the steel works were reclaimed.
Located in Northamptonshire, Corby is situated approximately 13 kilometres from Kettering.
Tags: Allegations, Birth Defects, Borough Council, Chemicals, Damages, Deformities, Everyday Lives, Heart Problems, Kilometres, Missing Fingers, Qc, Toxic Waste
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December 30th, 2008
Hearings are to take place soon to decide how much compensation will be paid to customers who were injured by chemicals inside faulty sofas.
The cases were first discovered by the BBC’s investigative programme Watchdog in May this year, after a number of sofas were found to have caused extreme allergic reactions in some people, resulting in rashes and blisters.
Research by Argos found that Linkwise – a Chinese company which supplies retail chains including itself and Land of Leather – had put sachets of the fungicide di-methyl fumarate into the sofas to prevent the growth of mould during transit.
The firm responsible for the retailers involved has admitted some of its suites were at fault for people’s injuries and the case is to be heard in the high court.
Those affected could receive compensation of £2,500, although those with the worst injuries may be eligible for as much as £5,000.
If a person has an accident or suffers injury as a result of a faulty product, that person could be eligible for compensation from the manufacturer or retailer and should seek legal advice.
Tags: Allergic Reactions, Argos, Bbc, Blisters, Chemicals, Chinese Company, Faulty Product, Fumarate, Fungicide, Land Of Leather, Legal Advice, Rashes, Retail Chains, Sofas, Watchdog
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June 18th, 2008
People are being put at risk from an increasing number of incidents involving chemicals, new figures suggest.
According to the Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) Chemical Incident Surveillance Review, more than 1,000 chemical incidents were recorded in England and Wales in 2007 – a five per cent increase on the previous year.
Fires accounted for the most common cause of chemical releases (28 per cent), followed by chemical spills (14 per cent) and chemical leakages (14 per cent).
Releases of gases and vapours, such as carbon monoxide gas, made up 15 per cent of incidents, reports Medical News Today.
The lead editor of the report, Dr Patrick Saunders, commented: "The database shows that chemical incidents don’t usually cause fatalities in England and Wales but there is a risk of short term symptoms and health effects in some cases."
The HPA is an independent body responsible for protecting the health and well-being of the UK population.
Tags: Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Monoxide Gas, Chemical Incident, Chemical Incidents, Chemicals, Dr Patrick, England And Wales, Fires, Gases, Health Effects, Health Protection Agency, Hpa, Independent Body, Medical News, News Today, Patrick Saunders, Previous Year, Risk, Surveillance, Uk Population
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