Chemical Leaks

It is the employer’s responsibility to make all staff aware of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any hazardous substance that they either handle, store or dispose of.  The information on the MSDS will help protect them and the environment.  If your business makes or supplies potentially hazardous substances they must each be recorded on a MSDS.

Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) and employer must control exposure to dangerous substances in order to reduce the risk to their health.

There are a growing number of industries either using dangerous chemicals or actually manufacturing them and because of this it is inevitable that injuries will sometimes occur.  Employers are responsible for the health and well being of their work force and as such must do their up most to try to safeguard their safety.  Risk assessments must be made and reasonable precautions taken.  There are stringent laws governing the use and manufacture of chemicals in the workplace.

Chemical leaks hit the headlines in the UK relatively frequently, with the most recent being at the O2 complex in London. In this incident, 31 people were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of ammonia, which include itchy eyes and general discomfort. These workers were quite fortunate, as these are amongst the most minor injuries that chemicals can cause.

Sadly, not all are as lucky. An accident involving the release of hexamethlyene diamine in a Teesside chemical plant at the beginning of 2007 saw workers suffer serious burns, breathing difficulties and skin irritation. In all, 37 people were injured and may be looking to make work injury compensation claims.

A third incident saw 50 workers treated in hospital for the effects of titanium tetrachloride, a chemical which forms hydrogen chlorine when it comes into contact with air. It got into the ventilation system of a heat treatment factory in Tamworth, leading to employees displaying symptoms such as nausea, coughing and tightness of the chest.

If you have been exposed to dangerous chemicals in the workplace you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim and should talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer.