Lead poisoning – Scrap metal company fined over lead poisoning

Lead poisoning – scrap metal company fined over lead poisoning

It was found that a worker who was admitted into hospital was found to have seven times the normal amounts of lead in his system, putting him at high risk of nerve, brain and kidney damage as well as potential infertility.
The investigation found that workers had regularly been exposed to lead fumes and dust for a number of months. The company had been repeatedly warned prior to the worker being admitted to hospital that he should be suspended from working with lead, as required by law, until levels fell sufficiently low enough again. This advice was ignored several times and the worker allowed to continue exposing himself to the hazard.
The judgement was that the company had failed to respond to clear advice concerning employees with high levels of lead exposure and that they had failed to suitably notify the workers of the risks involved – symptoms to look for – nor been provided with any protective masks or clothing.
The courts fined the owner of the company £30,000 in fines and ordered them to pay £29,640 in prosecution costs.