A SCRAP metal firm has been ordered to pay almost £60,000 for health and safety failings after workers suffered from lead poisoning.

A 48-year-old man from Darwen, who worked at Frank Barnes in the town, was admitted to hospital after blood tests revealed he had seven times the normal amount of lead in his body, putting him at risk of nerve, brain and kidney damage, and infertility.

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Frank Barnes (Darwen) Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found employees had been regularly exposed to lead fumes and dust for a number of months.

Preston Crown Court heard that the firm had been contracted to dismantle metal structures and machinery by a lead battery manufacturer in 2009. This involved work at the battery factory in Over Hulton, near Bolton, as well as at Frank Barnes’ site at Albert and Hope Mills in Cross Street, Darwen.

On November 24, 2009, the 48-year-old employee was found to have high levels of lead in his blood and was suspended from working with lead at the battery factory, as is required by law.

Frank Barnes was also told the employee should not work with lead materials at the Cross Street site, but this advice was ignored.

The warning was repeated in January 2010 when another blood test revealed the lead levels in his blood were still high.

The HSE was alerted in early February by the GP of another employee whose blood also had high levels of lead.

When HSE inspectors visited the site in March 2010, they found two other workers, who should have been suspended from lead work, had been allowed to continue working with lead-containing materials and had not been given suitable protective equipment.

Frank Barnes (Darwen) Ltd was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £29,639.65 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

HSE Inspector Michael Mullen said: “This is one of the worst cases I have dealt with as an inspector.

“Frank Barnes (Darwen) Ltd consistently failed to respond to clear advice concerning employees with high levels of lead in their blood and these employees continued to be exposed to lead fumes.”

A spokesman for Frank Barnes said: “Frank Barnes pleaded guilty to this single offence, which took place over a period from November 2009 to March 2010, at the first opportunity it had to do so.

“The company co-operated fully with the HSE and reviewed its operating processes as a result.

“It has implemented rigorous steps to prevent any re-occurrence, including utilising the services of its external health and safety consultant.

“Frank Barnes has indicated its deep regret in open court for its failures in this matter and accepts the judgment of the court.”