A utilities company has been fined £4,000 after an agency worker was exposed to a hazardous chemical for several weeks while working in Devon.
Peter Johnson suffered sore skin around his face when exposed to isocyanate between July and August 2007. The 48-year-old from Exeter was repainting joints on a raised gas pipeline near Ivybridge and driving a vehicle with an attached sprayer projecting paint which contained the chemical.
Mr Johnson was periodically exposed to the paint aerosol as it was sprayed because he was sitting in an open cab. Isocyanate is the second largest cause of occupational asthma, and can also cause conjunctivitis, dermatitis, bronchitis and rhinitis.
Torquay Magistrates’ Court heard how the international company Laing O’Rourke Utilities failed to protect Mr Johnson by ensuring exposure to isocyanate was prevented or adequately controlled. The company failed to provide him with proper protective equipment, so he was likely to have been exposed to up to 10 times the workplace exposure limit for isocyanate.
When his skin started to feel sore, Mr Johnson filed a complaint with HSE, which launched an investigation. He continues to receive treatment.
Laing O’Rourke Utilities Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and was ordered to pay £15,062 in costs.
Medico-Legal News Source: Claims Management Magazine
