SAS Maybole / Ayrshire manufacturers of sheet metal components for buildings such as ceilings and walls.

Complaint: I worked for this company from about 1997 - 2002. There was a fair amount of paint dust that used to escape from the large paint plant at that time, to the extent everyone in the factory was being contaminated. Management always stated the paint they used was totally safe. I was therefore shocked when I discovered some of the paints they used were extraordinarily dangerous.

Soon after starting to work for this company as a Press Operator, I noticed there was a problem with paint dust escaping from the large paint plant in the factory. At that time, the paint plant was partially sectioned off from the rest of the factory. I thought then it was only a matter of time till it was completely sectioned off to prevent the dust reaching the workers. After all, the paint plant operator had a full air fed suit for protection but no other person in the factory.

By about 1999, a new manager took over named John Gemmel. This manager had the partition around the paint plant dismantled, seemingly because he thought it did not look nice.

About that time, the company began buying new machinery to increase production and even began buying in components to be painted. This led to the paint plant being overloaded more often.

The paint plant had a continually moving track where large metal components where hooked onto. The components went through a large spray booth where they were sprayed with powder paint. After they left the spray booth, they went through the dryers where the paint dust was heat to a temperature that would melt the paint to the extent it created a durable finnish. The problem with the paint plant was, the spray booth and dryers never had any doors as they were fed by the continually moving track.

When the paint dryers were overloaded, or the extractors failed, paint dust spewed out the open doors to the extent they filled the factory, within a few minutes, with dust from one end to the other.

The factory was about 100 yards long and 60 wide. There was no way that dust could escape until it filled the factory to the extent it got low enough to exit the doors or cooled enough to fall on the floor and workers. Often, the first you knew of the contamination was when you could taste the dust then saw workers running to try and get out of the factory. When it happened with coloured paint such as black or a few times with a mustard colour, it was even more worrying.

During those severe contaminations, management refused workers the right to get out the factory, stating the paint they used was totally safe. Workers where then instructed to sweep the dust up and use cloths to clean it off the machines. This was later found to be the wrong way to clean up those substances and that SAS Maybole had special vacuum cleaners for the job.

After developing coughing and chocking symptoms that just would not clear up, the medical firm monitoring the work place sent a document to the management stating I should be removed from that environment.

A few weeks later, I was informed by management the medical firm would not be returning as they were not telling them how to run the factory. Medical documents from that medical firm about my condition then disappeared for about ten months till a union rep investigated.

I later had to go off work and asked the Health and Safety to check the factory to see if the paint they used was safe or if it could have been causing my health problems.

The HSE later came back with the information that some of the paint they used was extremely dangerous. The most worrying paint they seemed to use contained Triglycidyl Isocyanurate.

This paint is known to cause eyesight problems, respiratory problems, and most concerning of all, genetic disorders. Simply put, if your eyesight deteriorates while being exposed to that substance, it may have caused the problem. If you have constant nasal problems or airway problems such as persistent cough or chocking symptoms when exposed to dust, fumes or cold air, you may have an illness caused by that substance. If you have had children when being exposed to that substance that have Hereditary Genetic Disorders, their disorders may have been caused by that substance.

The HSE also stated I should have been made aware of the types of paint they used and the data sheets for the paint should have been available for all the workers in the factory to read.

The HSE did examine the factory and reported their examinations along with statements taken from workers justified my complaint.

People that still work there have stated the HSE did manage to get the factory cleaned up a lot by having larger extractors fitted at the paint plant, although they did state it had not completely solved the problem.

The last I heard is that the paint plant is still not sectioned off. Considering that factory manufactures partitions for buildings, it is unbelievable that the HSE don't make them section that paint plant off.

Dust contamination was so bad, when an Electrical Fitter started working there, he demanded the fitter shop be completely sectioned off from the rest of the factory. I should know this, as, I manufactured many of the panels for that dividing wall.

The HSE have stated SAS Maybole no longer used the more dangerous paints and that they are not going to prosecute them for contaminating almost their entire workforce with dangerous chemicals for many years.