A waste and recycling site in Freshfields, St Leonard’s, was evacuated earlier this morning after several people fell ill and have required attendance with the emergency services.
According to the report from the BBC, there was a ‘strong smell of ammonia’ present and the area was cordoned off with Sussex Police advising local people to keep their windows and doors shut as a precaution.
A spokesman from the ambulance service has confirmed that eight people were being attended to at the site and it is not yet known whether they will require any further treatment. A ‘major incident’ was declared but this has since been stood down and the local council have stated that local residents are not at risk from the incident.
We live in a country where health and safety is generally taken very seriously. There are specific regulations that address the use and management of chemicals that may cause harm to humans and incidents like this are generally quite rare.
We as lawyers often see the other side of it – where people have been exposed to a dangerous chemical and suffered as a result. These are commonly workplace incident claims where people are entitled to claim compensation for being negligently exposed to dangerous chemicals in the workplace. The suffering – no matter how long or short term – can be compensated for.
For advice on chemical exposure claims call our team on 0800 634 7575 for a free and friendly no obligation chat.