[shyann]

What are the medical side effects of cellulose spraying?
The reason I ask is that at the B&Q that I work nights at [it's classed as a building site- so it's hard hat,hi-vis vest & safety boots] is in the middle of a re-vamp.
I'm Asthmatic & I had a coughing fit, chest tightness, there was this horrible paint smell which I was told was cellulose. After I took my Ventolin inhaler I still felt a bit light headed, headache & dizzy, a bit shaky, & my chest was still a little tight so I went home.
Were my symptoms due to the cellulose coupled with my asthma?


Ann

[HFStuart]

Were my symptoms due to the cellulose coupled with my asthma?

Ann

I'm no expert but I do know that when I cleaned a carb with cellulose thinners in the house my wife had the worst asthm attacke she'd had in years. I'd suggest the two don't mix well.

[tom192]

do they spray all the time or was it just one shift?

[shyann]

Last night was the only time I'm aware of. They sprayed the ex internal greenhouse ready to be set up with new decking, & shelving units before putting the new arrangement of garden fertilizers & chemicals. Apparently they did cover the doorway to the greenhouse, but the smell of it permeated through to the middle of the store where I was.
I'm feeling all right now but as I went home early it's would go down on my sickness record & will put me on amber. My dilemna is do I make up my time lost 3 hrs, have tonight off [after tonight I'm off till monday night then] or go back & work tonight although it'll still be a period of sickness as I went home early last night whether it's 1hour or a week or more.

[warrenpenalver]

maybe speak to a doctor/nurse??? if it can be reasonably shown as a work caused illness then surely they cant peanalise you on the sickness qouta thingy??

If it were me id report it as a H+S incident.

[mort666]

I'm with Warren on this one. even if it goes on your sickness record, as it's due to something which work have done surely they can't penalise you for it.

Personally I wouldn't make the time up seen as it was something at work which made you have the time off. Are they going to be spraying again tonight or was it just last night as a one off? If they are spraying again tonight I would be very tempted to have tonight off too, especially if it's just recorded as a single absence and it wouldn't affect your amber rating. If they are doing anything like that again tonight then it will probably effect you again and it could be worse the second time round.

Sounds like the store didn't do their risk assessment properly

[shyann]

Well I decided not to go into work last night, I still had a bad headache & felt a bit off colour. At work they'd probally still put me on 'amber' even though it wasn't my fault I was unwell so 3 hours sick, or opposed to 9 hours sick I'd still be on 'amber'. There's quite a few people at work who must be on very bright red & nothing happens to them. I'm going to say on my 'back to work' that it was the cellulose combined with my [known] asthma resulted in me going off sick
Thanks for your advice

Ann

[hotrodspike]

This will shake them up a bit.

First of all, have three days off,

then when you get back record the incident in the accident book, (doesn't have to be an accident to be recorded),

then tell your supervisor that you want the incident recorded and reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).

As they knew about your asthma, they should have reduced the risk of you coming into contact with noxious substances, or removed you from the danger area, (the spraying job should have been risk assessed before they started work).

There should also have been extraction equipment in place for any spraying of cellulose based paint.

If they insist on giving you an amber warning, just mention Health and Safety at Work act 1974 and see if their faces turn a funny colour.


Hope you feel better soon

[eldoodarino]

Cellulose isn't really used much now... my bet it was actually a solvent based paint.... not nice at all!....

when i did some painting a few years ago i used a couple of paper masks and it just went straight through... i felt VERY ill the next day like i'd litterally drank some imperial blue...

then i bought a respirator mask with fluid vapour catridges and now i don't even smell the paint...works very well... altho you do get a very dry mouth after a while....

not nice if your asthmatic....

Regards

Chris

[hotrodspike]

What Chris said.

If the paint smelled of pear drops, it was cellulose, if it didn't, it wasn't. Stands a chance they used B&Qs own brand which is absolutely vile to breathe in, (always gives me a headache).

[Sex Kitten]

what he said!

[warrenpenalver]

turn up to work wearing one of these:



Then they will get the message

[Jessie]

You might think this is a bit OTT but have a look here it's worth lodging a claim with them too as it goes down on government records as a work related injury and if in the future you deteriorate because of this event you can be entitled to payments claimed back against your NI contributions

The Specific bit you'll need is here under "Accident Declarations"

This post has been edited by Jessie: 28 August 2008 - 10:25 PM