£200,000 compensation for kitchen worker

An ex-employee of Birmingham City Council has been awarded £200,000 damages after developing breathing problems from inhaling flour.

Mrs Watkins was forced by the illness - known as bakers' asthma - to retire from work in 1995. She had worked in a small kitchen with a small window and poor ventilation. Birmingham City Council admitted liability for the illness.

Catering facilities are a common feature of both public and private sites nationwide, and workplace managers need to be aware of their duties to protect the kitchen workers as well as the food consumers.

Copies of the HSE's "General ventilation in the workplace: guidance for employers", ISBN 0717617939, price £4.00, can be ordered online or by calling (01787) 881165.
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