Firm failed to control exposure to asthma-causing fumes

摘要

A company that designs and manufactures LED-based variable message signs for motorways and railway signals has been prosecuted for putting its workers' health at risk by exposing them to solder fumes. South Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard on 25 October that soldering at the firm had been carried out by test engineers undertaking repairs using rosin-based solder flux, the fumes of which are a significant cause of occupational asthma.Fiona McGarry, the HSE inspector who investigated the case and prosecuted it in court, told SHP that soldering had been taking place for up to four hours a day with no facility in place to extract fumes.