We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
Employees of pest control companies are likely to be exposed to harmful chemicals and unhygienic environments every working day and their employer must therefore provide them with the correct training and suitable protective clothing for the job. Employer negligence could lead to a work injury claim being made.
Suffering an accident at work can cause pain, suffering and loss of earnings, and as such, workers should be aware that employers are responsible for their safety and may be found liable for personal injury acquired on the job – as long as an incident is not the worker's own fault.
Pesticides
All containers which contain pesticides should have a warning label on them informing people of how toxic the substance is and how it should be used safely. For example, the users should be told on the label whether the substance is poisonous by ingestion or inhalation and in what quantity to use it over a certain sized area.
Under the Poisons Act 1972, poisonous substances, such as pesticides, have been categorised into two different Poison Lists or Schedules. These are used to classify different poisons and control their availability to the untrained general public.
Part One, or Schedule One, of the Poison List contains all substances which are non-medicinal poisons and are only allowed to be sold by someone who is "lawfully conducting a retail pharmacy business".
Part Two, or Schedule Two, of the list consists of all poisonous substances deemed non-medicinal, but can only be sold by someone who owns a pharmacy business or "by a person whose name is entered in a local authority's list".
Some of the laws which regulate the selling of certain poisons, do not "extend to or interfere with a person who requires the article for the purpose of his trade or business," but as stated in the HSE, an employee must be given guidance on how to use the chemicals at their disposal because "if used incorrectly there are real risks of harm to workers".
Many diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and some cancers, have been linked to the exposure of an individual to pest control chemicals.
Not only this but the unhygienic environments in which a pest control employee may have to work, could expose them to infections such as Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome or Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome. These can be passed to humans if they touch, ingest or inhale particles of an infected rodent's urine, faeces or saliva, and are far from the last illnesses which can be caught from pests.
Protection of employees
The health and safety of employees is an employer's responsibility. Not only do pest controllers work with dangerous chemicals and in environments which are occasionally very unhygienic, some of the workers are called to rid a building of pests by themselves. Because of this, it is very important that they are properly trained and given the protective equipment and clothing they will need for the job.
The HSE state that under law, no one should work alone without correct preparation for the job they are to undertake.
Want to make an work injury claim?
YouClaim have a team of expert personal injury solicitors ready to help you receive 100% compensation. If you have suffered an industrial illness work which was not your fault, then simply phone on 0800 10 757 95, use live help to ask for advice, or fill in our short online claim form and a member of our team will contact you regarding your case.
