The need for companies to take action to reduce the dangers of lead poisoning was illustrated by the almost £50,000 fine received by Metal and Waste Recycling Ltd, a recycling company, which pleaded guilty to failing to protect workers from the hazards of working with lead.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the company’s premises in Edmonton, after a worker complained about inadequate protection and discovered that 90 workers, mainly Romanians, were significantly exposed to lead, had inadequate ventilation and there was a scarcity of face masks or respiratory equipment available.
The HSE also discovered that workers wore their own clothes, which might have resulted in other people beyond work being affected by lead exposure. Tests were subsequently carried out on the employees and 23 were found to have significantly high levels of lead in their bloodstream, with six having symptoms of lead poisoning.
The HSE said, in a statement, that lead exposure is a well-known cause of occupational ill health and those working with it therefore needed suitable measures to be in place to either prevent or control exposure. It also criticised the “abysmal lack of care” shown by the company.