A supplier and a flooring company have both been sentenced following the death of floor-layer in London.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that on 4 September 2015, the 30-year-old floor-layer was found deceased on the bathroom floor by the owner of the house. The adhesive used to fix the flooring contained a large amount of toxic substance.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that T Brown Group Ltd had not implemented any systems or procedures adequately to control the risks to its employees from working in an enclosed space with a substance known to be hazardous to health.
The decision on whether to wear respiratory protection such as face masks, or what type of protection should be worn was left up to employees. When the floor-layer's body was found he was wearing a completely ineffective face mask.
Altro Limited, the flooring company who supplied the adhesive, was found not to have ensured so far as reasonably practicable that the product supplied was safe to use at all times.
Both companies pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and were fined the following:
After the hearing, HSE inspector Peter Collingwood said "this tragic incident which has had a devastating effect on a young family was wholly avoidable. It is important that companies have an appreciation of their duties, (whether to its employees or its customers) and have effective systems and procedures in place to ensure those duties are fulfilled".
