£32,000 compensation for occupational asthma
A factory worker has received £32,000 in a compensation claim after he developed asthma at his workplace.
The 49-year-old developed asthma when he was exposed to dangerous fumes for over three years.
His injury lawyers said he was exposed to a mix of hydraulic oil and coolant mist at the factory.
It was reported that he complained about an oil leak with the machine he was working on but nothing was done to fix it. His lawyers noted that he reported the problem on two more occasions as well.
He first started suffering from breathlessness in 2005 and was diagnosed with occupational asthma in March 2006. But he was only assessed by his employer’s occupational health department in January 2009.
Only after this was he then shifted to a job where he wasn’t exposed to fumes. The man's doctor said that he will have to live with the condition for the rest of his life.
His lawyers were successful in making his employers admit public liability and settled the claim out of court.
They said: “Due to serious shortcomings in the employer’s procedures our client was exposed for more than three years and has suffered irreparable harm.”
Updated on 19/04/2010