A company specializing in the restoration of old decorations was sentenced to two fines by the Prud’hommes de Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), report West France, Thursday, December 17.
The company, which operates on heritage building repair sites, was accused of having neglected the protection of one of its employees, a house painter, who was exposed to lead. The metal, which is found in old paints and plumbing, is toxic in high doses, says the daily.
The employee is a young woman who entered the company as an apprentice, before being hired in 2013. She appealed to the Labor Council in 2019 after realizing that she had traces of lead in the blood.
Lead in the blood
A first blood test which showed the presence in his body of 75 micrograms of lead per liter of blood. From that point on, the employee is then monitored regularly. In 2015, another analysis shows a concentration of 119 micrograms of lead per liter of blood and up to 135 micrograms in 2017.
However, that year, the young woman was pregnant. The exposure of a fetus to lead can have serious consequences on the psychomotor development of the child, explains the regional daily. Also infected, the baby has been monitored since birth.
The company is at fault
“A bundle of clues” shows that the complainant’s lead poisoning is indeed due to her activity in the craft business. “The means of protection of the employees were not sufficient, others were contaminated and the employer did not demonstrate that he had taken all the necessary measures”, explained the CFDT delegate who defended the mother to the labor tribunal.
The company was ordered to pay 5,000 euros for breach of the health and safety obligation. She was also forced to pay a fine of 5,000 euros for damages in compensation for the prejudice of anxiety.
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