Has anyone reported an employer to the hse

[outofthefire]

I went to the doctors last night because of a chest infection i've had all week following a cold, i've been prescribed antibiotics, steroids and a ventolin and I had to go for an ecg this morning. This pic was posted by one of the lads at work today after I rang in sick, those are just the fumes from the welding. On top of that there's all the **** off the grinders, the sawdust and fibreglass dust.

After a week of being breathless all the time I have been seriously considering contacting the HSE does anyone know if its worthwhile and whether it can be done anonymously.

 

[madkayaker]

Report under riddor

 

[Omniata]

I did it quite a few years ago due to the employee and environmental impact the company was having...
Albeit I had left by this point but the procedure then was anonymous...

Sadly the HSE now is not contactable by phone or email, but you can fax them:

HSE Yorks and NE

The other option is to report them to your councils environmental health dept. They themselves can't do a lot but can get the cogs turning so to speak...


The situation pictured above should have some form of extraction and ventilation, either air fed or forced...


You could potentially have quite a claim if the damage is permanent, but your employer would have to install ventilation to make the claim sizeable.
By installing it they would effectively admit to "a problem" and would be caugt with their pants down...



Really it depends on how much you dislike them, not just how much you care about your colleagues....

 

[Omniata]

Report under riddor

It really needs to be the employer that reports under "RIDDOR" as they will have to show evidence of how the "injury" was sustained and recorded...

Although I dare say it wouldn't hurt



Edit: Link added to RIDDOR

Edit2: Also you'll be asked if you ever raised a query with respect to the ventilation and whether you refused to work in "an unsafe environment" without protection, sadly, ignorence is no excuse...

 

[madkayaker]

An employee can also report under riddor

 

[Omniata]

An employee can also report under riddor

Hence the link, you do need to be quite clear on filling the form out and be as exhaustive as possible in a case like this, as there will presumably be legal implications...

 

[outofthefire]

There's not a lot of love lost between the management and the employees but unfortunately it pays the bills. The trouble is that while everyone complains they wont actually down tools and refuse to work.

 

[madkayaker]

I didn't bother with the link as I know the site! Stick to the facts and you won't go far wrong

 

[Davek0974]

There's not a lot of love lost between the management and the employees but unfortunately it pays the bills. The trouble is that while everyone complains they wont actually down tools and refuse to work.

It's quite common, have heard this before, if things are not comfortable in the shop then asking for ventilation or PPE which although being a legal necessity could still cause friction to the point that the employee is forced out, this of course is illegal again

Don't take it lying down, that looks bad. My father retired 15 years ago and took up wood turning at home, made some lovely stuff. A few years back he was not feeling well and short of breath. After many tests he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis which is hardening of the lungs. He is now on permanent oxygen, practically immobile and can hardly breathe, the only thing we can put this down to was wood dust, he only installed ventilation after a few years and was likely too late. You only get one pair of lungs. Report it.

 

[triumph]

hi Im sorry u have to work in such a crappy enviorment I have a friend who does the same ,working in a dusty over staffed place and his health also suffers inc his sanity not good but he won,t report them as he fears causing a major prob but agree something in this case needs to be done how to go is tricky but as stated try health and safet dept maybe if they look round the employer may get somthing done rather than risk been sued in todays claims culture best of luck ,c

 

[BrokenBiker]

if you report them to you rlocal councils environmental department they will more than likely post their results to HSE anyway if theyre bad. we had a council visit and were reported to HSE due to there being oxy/acet used in a small confined area with no vents or extraction. fortunately the hse sided with us because the oxy/acet area is controlled as to who goes in and out, and you must have an airflow system

 

[Welderpaul]

I think i would formally raise your/your colleagues concerns in writing first to your employer, asking for them to correctly discharge their minimum responsibilities in regards to your health, safety and welfare. See what their response is.
Then, if they don't act, send the information to HSE.
HSE will send them a letter first, asking them to provide evidence that they are correctly dealing with the risks in the workplace. Quite often, they don't visit.
(My safety consultant is ex HSE!)

 

[cumbriasteve]

That workplace is seriously bad, if a cold does the rounds in our family I am the only one who ends up with a chest infection, I really suffer and it takes weeks to clear.

Doc has said it's something I will always have to endure due to the lungs being hammered over the years through workplace pollution of various types, funnily enough same as your hazards...welding, sawdust, fibreglass and a bit of spraying.

I can remember seeing masses of airborne fibreglass particles glittering in the sunlight.

Luckily I changed occupation with some damage already done but avoided what I think would have ended up with very serious damage.

Risking your job is scary but the employer is putting his profits before your health, he won't give a toss when you are coughing and splutttering in later life with your retirement possibly ruined due to health issues.

Hope the tests are ok and you manage to get it sorted.

 

[Hitch]

One of our lads is in for chest Xrays this week.

 

[ajlelectronics]

As an employer myself, I am appalled at the malicious "us and them" attitude displayed here. If you have a problem with your workspace, TELL SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP. Your employer is not a mind reader and likely does not get involved at the floor level to see the problem. IF they are dismissive, THEN maybe make it official, but for Heaven's sake, GIVE THE COMPANY A CHANCE.

 

[Robotstar5]

As an employer myself, I am appalled at the malicious "us and them" attitude displayed here. If you have a problem with your workspace, TELL SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP. Your employer is not a mind reader and likely does not get involved at the floor level to see the problem. IF they are dismissive, THEN maybe make it official, but for Heaven's sake, GIVE THE COMPANY A CHANCE.

That would be my old boss, he'd dismiss you and find someone else!

 

[outofthefire]

As an employer myself, I am appalled at the malicious "us and them" attitude displayed here. If you have a problem with your workspace, TELL SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP. Your employer is not a mind reader and likely does not get involved at the floor level to see the problem. IF they are dismissive, THEN maybe make it official, but for Heaven's sake, GIVE THE COMPANY A CHANCE.

It sounds like your a decent employer unfortunately there not all like you. We have complained often enough, though I think welderpaul has a good point about putting it in writing first.

Its not just the air quality, we use high step ladders that are seriously unsafe we complained again the other day to the works manager while we were waiting to clock off. In front of us all he said that he knew they were unsafe but he couldn't get anyone to come out and give him a quote to replace them, then he wittered about a ladder exchange scheme (his favourite response this has been going on for a long time) before sloping off to his office.

The painters are quite well looked after they have air fed masks and someone comes in and gives them a bit of a medical every now and again. The other month the works manager asked one of the painters to repaint part of a wagon in our shop when we complained about the health and safety he said that breathing in the 2k fumes was no worse than smoking or drinking.

I wouldn't mind but we don't get paid for being off sick choose what the reason is. Perhaps you can now understand why some people see the employee employer relationship as them and us

 

[blenkie1]

I worked at a local coal mine once when someone wrote a letter to the HSE about concerns of safety and working practices that was going on. The HSE arrived (without notice) and was took down the mine for a 'tour'. Total panic ensured as everything that could be done illegally was being done! Manager got a good telling off and the main particular point the writer of the letter made had to change though in my mind was still dangerous. HSE had a few more visits to make sure everything was being ahered to. After a while everything drifted back to the old ways. The mine was struggling and old habits were hard to break!! What made me laugh is the HSE always give a 2-3 day notice before a visit. Enough time to get everything in order? Seemingly the HSE has to be seen to be doing something if it receives a letter. If someone had been hurt and they had not done anything about it would be serious as they would be partly to blame for not taking any action I think.

I have spent the last ten years working in a fabrication shop which (trying not to boast) was a lot, lot worse than that. The workshop lights used to dim with a cloud of reek that used to hang in the roof. Opening the doors was a no no because it was such a windy place, it used to blow the gas away. Our concern was, because the main work was refurbing car transporters was the paint and sealant. A lot of work was cutting and grinding and the paint/sealant fumes used to sting your eyes and really catch the back of your throat. A paint sprayer told us the paint contained arsenic (?) so we complained to our health and safety man who promised something would be done. A firm came out with monitering equipment to test air quality and noise. Funnily enough it was really quiet at the time with very little work! The result? Air quality ok and noise levels requiring ear plugs. In other words a farce! The only good thing that happened was that we got a medical every year to test hearing and lungs and also HAVS. I still think in this kind of work a full chest X-ray should be complusory every 2 years.

Does the firm supply dust masks or have an air flow welding mask for use. I think thats how our firm gets away with it, though we had 10 people working there was only 2 adflow masks for use.

 

[the snooper]

As an employer myself, I am appalled at the malicious "us and them" attitude displayed here. If you have a problem with your workspace, TELL SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP. Your employer is not a mind reader and likely does not get involved at the floor level to see the problem. IF they are dismissive, THEN maybe make it official, but for Heaven's sake, GIVE THE COMPANY A CHANCE.

that situation is bad, we all know its bad and the employer will aswell but what has he done about it,
you say give them a chance they obviously dont care, they are playing with peoples health.
who from the work force will bring up the subject, its well know that the person that rocks the boat often fall out.
appart from the aspestosis thing its people like them that caused the law to be changed where we now have to keep all our employers liability certificates for 40 years.

they deserve a visit from the HSE

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

I used to work for an employer that stored the Oxy/Acet and the propane bottles in the fettling bay. The grinding sparks used to bounce off of the bottles literally! I was working on the floor directly above and often imagined one day a missile shooting up throught my rear end. I complained several times and in the end the manager said he will have a guard placed around the bottle *sigh* Even that never materialised. Thankfully I saw the light and moved on from there where the grass was most definately greener.