Chemical Spill Threatens Health Of Workers

A metal and paint spraying firm's headquarters has been evacuated after a chemical spill threatened the health of workers at the site.

Staff were evacuated from the building on a Staffordshire industrial estate near Uttoxeter.

About 30 firefighters were called to Pym and Wildsmith, on the Bramshall Industrial Estate, to deal with the spill.

Stone Road was closed while crews ensure the area is safe. A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said crews were containing the spill and cleaning it up.
 
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David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “This was a very serious chemical accident at work. Whilst the exact circumstances the accident are unknown, something clearly went very wrong indeed.

“Employers who store, process or manufacture chemicals must do so in a way that does not endanger their workers or the public.

“Anyone affected by chemical exposure may be able to claim compensation as a result.”

Mr Urpeth represented over 75 workers and many residents who were injured in the 2001 at the Killingholme refinery when over 170 tonnes of liquid petroleum gas caught fire, the largest chemical disaster since Flixborough. Conoco-Phillips, who owned the plant, was eventually fined £1m for breaching health and safety regulations after the explosion at its Humber refinery.