An inquest has heard how a lack of ventilation and a poor working practice could have led to the death of a business man who was found slumped over a drum of chemicals. The 58 year old man became overwhelmed with toxic fumes at his furniture stripping workshop in Kitchener Road, High Wycombe and was discovered dead by his wife. He had been stripping a stall and a door in the drum which was full of the volatile chemical dichloromethane. The chemical is used to strip lacquer and paint, but the inquest heard that the fans at Chiltern Strip and Polish which were used to disperse fumes were found switched off.
Robert Daunton, a specialist inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the concentration of fumes near the drum would have been high enough anyway. However he believed that once the furniture was taken out, it was scrubbed down on top of the drum itself - meaning that workers remained dangerously close to the fumes. This procedure was later confirmed by a co-worker. Mr Daunton added, "If the fans are not switched on and you are leaning into the tank the concentrations are such that it will tend to make you unconscious and if you collapse you are going to end up even closer to the dichloromethane in the tank itself."
An HSE investigation ruled out faults in the electrical system of the fans at the solvent tank and returned a verdict of accidental death. However the tragic accident serves as a reminder of the risks of working with substances harmful to health and of the need to ensure that safe working practices are identified, followed and measures taken to reduce exposure.
