London tube staff working on most polluted lines off sick more, study finds

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Staff on some of London’s most polluted tube lines tend to be off sick more, research has shown, but more needs to be done to establish whether there is a link between the level of dust and ill health.

The largest-ever study of this type has been carried out to look into the potential impact of airborne Tube dust on London Underground workers. However, despite the research, there is not yet enough evidence to be sure it caused them to fall sick.

The Tube drivers’ union Aslef has said the findings are “deeply concerning” as drivers are being exposed to particle pollution far above World Health Organisation safe limits.

London tube staff

Issues have been raised as Transport for London said the WHO – and UK Government – limits on air pollution only applied to “ambient” outdoor areas and not enclosed environments such as the Underground.

The study, carried out by Imperial College London, used 100 times more sample data than previous studies.

The results found that staff who worked in areas with greater levels of fine dust – PM2.5 particulate matter, which can be harmful to health – tended to be off sick more.

Meanwhile, some drivers were exposed to more than twice as much dust as staff working on Tube station platforms.

The highest concentrations of PM2.5s were found in driver’s cabs on the Piccadilly line, where readings of 787 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) were obtained.

However, the District line had the lowest readings of 72 µg/m3.

Dr David Green, from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said:

“We found that exposure to dust varied widely among staff, even among those doing the same job, and depended largely on where they were working across the Tube network.

“For example, drivers who worked on older trains and on lines with deeper tunnels were exposed to more PM2.5 – as were customer service staff at stations with interchanges for multiple lines.

“There was some evidence to suggest that staff exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 took more days off sick, but this link wasn’t clear cut.”

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s London organiser, told the Standard:

“The current World Health Organisation guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3, while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 µg/m3 more than three to four days per year.

“But Tube drivers on the Piccadilly line are exposed to up to a shocking 787μg/m3 during a working shift.

“Aslef are insisting on an urgent meeting with TfL and medical experts to discuss what steps they are taking to deal with this issue.

“It’s just not good enough to say ‘more research is needed’. Action is needed now to make sure staff do not continue to be exposed in such a dangerous way.”

Industrial Diseases

If it is proven at a later date that the workers suffer from health issues as a result of the pollution, they may be entitled to claim for Industrial Disease.

An Industrial Disease is an illness or disease that has been contracted in the course of employment, due to dangerous working conditions or a lack of protective equipment.

Employer Liability

Your employer has general common law duties to ensure you have a safe place of work, safe plant or machinery and a safe system of work. If your employer has breached these duties, you may be entitled to claim for negligence against them.

A breach of these common law duties can be shown/proven by identifying breaches in statutory requirements the Defendants have to comply with. Some of these are as follows:

Health and Safety Act 1974

Every employer has a duty so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure the safety and welfare of employees.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Duty to undertake adequate risk assessment (Reg. 3)
The requirement to undertake health surveillance (Reg. 6)

Common types of industrial diseases

Dermatitis
Respiratory illnesses
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
Hearing loss
Cancer
Asbestosis

When to make a claim

If you have read the above and feel that you may be suffering from any symptoms whilst exposed to tasks at work, call Oakwood Solicitors Ltd to speak to our dedicated Industrial Disease team and ask about our ‘No-Win, No-Fee’ agreement.

In order to run the majority of personal injury claims, you have to have started the claim within three years of the injury.

However, with Industrial Disease claims it may be that the injury started over a period of time and was only diagnosed within the last three years. We will be able to clarify this for you.