Wife loses lead poison claim
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MA lorry driver's wife has lost her claim for damages against Alf Brown's Transport after suffering lead poisoning from cleaning her husband's overalls.
The High Court heard that Stella Hewett's husband had been carting about three loads of waste a day, including lead oxide. He had to climb on top of the lorry to sheet the load, which was dusty and dirty work, and wore his own overalls, boots and mask. Every day Mrs Hewett banged the dust from the overalls before hand washing them, She became ill in 1982 with lead poisoning attributable to being exposed to her husband's contaminated clothing.
Lord Justice Taylor said that an employer was required to provide an employee with pro tective clothing unless the exposure to lead was not significant.
But, concluding that Mr Hewett's exposure to lead had been insignificant, he said it had been below the lowest end of the scale of exposure envisaged by the code of practice accompanying The Control of Lead at Work Regulations. Consequently Mrs Hewett was unable to establish negligence or breach of any statutory duty.