September 28, 2010A surprise visit by HSE inspectors to a Midlands-based glass-making factory identified that staff had been exposed to high levels of lead contamination.
On 27 October 2009, the HSE made an unannounced visit to Staffordshire Crystal Ltd’s factory at Pedmore Road Industrial Estate in Brierley Hill, Dudley. Inspectors found the levels of lead contamination were above the occupational exposure limit (OEL).
The main source of the exposure came from lead dust and slurry, which was created during the glass-cutting process. Although the factory had a local exhaust ventilation system, it was not working effectively and, as a result, workers were at risk of the exposure. The investigation also found that workers were allowed to eat and drink in the processing area and there were no washing facilities on the factory floor for them to wash their hands.
The company was issued six Improvement Notices on 3 December 2009, which required it to: carry out a full risk assessment; take action to prevent workers from being exposed to lead; stop employees from eating, smoking or drinking on the factory floor; test the existing control measures; introduce air monitoring; and provide medical surveillance.
Staffordshire Crystal Ltd, trading as Brierley Crystal, appeared at Stourbridge and Halesowen Magistrates’ Court on 24 September and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.5 of the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002, for failing to carry out a risk assessment, and reg. 25(2)(b) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, for allowing workers to eat and drink in an area where they could be exposed to contamination. It was fined a total of £3600 and £7000 in costs.
In mitigation, the firm said it had no previous convictions and had entered an early guilty plea. It subsequently carried out a full risk assessment and made improvements to its local exhaust ventilation system. A clean area has been created where workers can rest, and it has also installed washing facilities and provided staff with suitable overalls.
HSE inspector Jenny Skeldon said: “This was a proactive prosecution following a routine visit to the premises. Lead exposure is a recognised cause of occupational ill health and this requires adequate control measures to either prevent or control exposure. Good personal hygiene, such as hand-washing, before eating or drinking is also very important in controlling exposure.
“Firms that are operating with lead-based materials need to ensure their workers are protected at all times – not just in the processing areas where they are carrying out their duties but also the rest and eating areas.”
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Do the reports indicate that the HSE carried out blood lead tests and if so what the results were? For a long time the HSE view was that lead once incorporated into glass was effectively insoluble (remember “low solubility glazes”?). If the place was a mess fair enough, but lead is one of the few substances where we have biological standards that are probably more reliable as an indicator of intoxication than air monitoring.