Recycling Firm Faces Health and Safety Questions
A complaint against a recycling firm cites lead poisoning of workers. The Edmonton-based company is being fined for failure to protect against health and safety concerns. Metal and Waste Recycling was stripping lead-copper cabling they purchased from British Telecom. The cable was bought when BT was switching to fibre optic cable. Health and safety audits were carried out to determine if the complaint was reasonable. The HSE determined that between 2008 and 2009, about 90 workers were exposed to lead because of the stripping process. Many of the workers are Romanian.
The company did not provide proper protection such as face masks, respiratory equipment, or ventilation for the job. Gloves were offered, but that was very little in the scheme of things considering the workers wore their own clothing. It means they may have tracked the lead into their homes further exposing themselves and their families to the lead that could lead to poisoning. The company did not have blood tests or other health checks either that are required for lead work.
About 23 workers have high levels of lead in their blood according to the HSE tests. Six had symptoms of lead poisoning and two were even put on chelation therapy to remove the lead from their bodies. Lead exposure is a serious matter. Lead can be very dangerous if not handled properly. It may not be as long lasting as asbestos in terms of when damage shows up, but it is just as deadly if not caught.
