Glue firm fined over poison fumes

The owners of a glue factory have been fined £25,000 for breaking health and safety rules after workers breathed poisonous fumes.

Four employees suffered coughing fits and two of them were taken to hospital after inhaling chemicals at Permabond in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Managers were also ordered to pay out just under £10,000 pounds costs at Southampton Crown Court.

The men had been mixing an industrial solvent called dichloromethane without wearing masks or protective clothing at the company's Woodside Road factory.

Safety training

Marek Balysz, prosecuting, said the company failed to provide good safety training or ensure adequate ventilation at the unit.

National Starch and Chemical Ltd, which owns Permabond, admitted two counts of breaching health and safety regulations on 16 January.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the case against the company, which was fined £12,500 on each count.

Peter Kavanagh, operations manager of Permabond, said: "Permabond has co-operated fully with the HSE and carried out its own investigation to learn from this incident and has put in place measures to ensure it does not happen again."