Drax Faces Lawsuits Over Claims Workers Developed Asthma From Wood Dust

Ten lawsuits person been revenge against Drax aft diagnoses of asthma allegedly linked to its wood pellet fuel, it tin beryllium revealed.

Current and erstwhile workers astatine nan UK’s largest powerfulness position declare they person not been adequately protected against sustained vulnerability to wood dust, which tin origin superior wellness problems including asthma, dermatitis and nasal cancer.

Six compensation claims person settled retired of tribunal and 4 person proceedings dates successful 2026, an investigation by Land and Climate Review has found.

A people action suit has besides been revenge against nan institution this period complete health concerns successful nan US, representing 700 group who unrecorded adjacent 1 of Drax’s wood pellet mills successful Mississippi. The institution is besides being investigated by nan UK Financial Conduct Authority complete “historical statements” made astir its wood pellet fuel.

Drax powerfulness position was primitively built to pain coal, but has relied afloat connected biomass since 2023. The conversion took spot complete 2 decades, funded pinch billions of pounds successful subsidies from UK measure payers. The UK authorities is negotiating Drax’s adjacent biomass subsidy contract, which will tally from 2027 to 2031.

Drax’s pellets are made by compressing wood particulate astatine precocious pressures and are past crushed backmost into particulate successful mills astatine nan Yorkshire tract earlier being burned.

Neil Lindridge, a erstwhile mechanical fitter astatine Drax, described nan particulate arsenic “so good that you tin only spot it successful sunlight”.

Martyn Sweet, different erstwhile worker, said that he and others successful nan onsite mills “weren’t told anything” earlier Drax began trialling biomass successful nan 2000s.

Within 5 years of Sweet noticing “yellow specks of worldly mixed successful pinch nan coal,” he was having regular colds, flu and thorax infections. He past began to person asthma attacks, sometimes instantly aft arriving onsite. He was yet taken to infirmary twice, including a three-day enactment for double pneumonia.

It was successful 2015, erstwhile a master diagnosed him pinch business asthma, that he says “it each dropped into place”.

Sweet says Drax’s caput of information and situation asked him: “Where do you deliberation you’ve been exposed to biomass?”

“Everywhere,” he replied.

Wood is processed to make pellets astatine a Drax installation successful Gloster, Mississippi. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Sweet was nan first of 10 group to writer Drax complete wellness problems diagnostically linked to biomass. The lawsuits followed 3 betterment notices revenge by nan Health and Safety Executive (HSE), aft investigators “identified important contraventions of wellness and information law” successful 2016.

Drax pleaded not blameworthy to criminal charges successful 2022, earlier HSE dropped its prosecution lawsuit successful 2023. An HSE spokesperson said “we undertook a lengthy and thorough investigation” but “new accusation emerged successful precocious 2022” which meant location was “no longer a reasonable imaginable of securing a condemnation for nan astir superior failings alleged”. HSE said astatine nan clip “There is nary grounds of continuing consequence of harm from vulnerability to wood particulate astatine nan Drax Power Station.”

While moving astatine Drax, Lindridge developed specified terrible breathing problems that he could only slumber sitting upright successful a chair. As good arsenic asthma, he suffered from rhinitis and developed polyps successful his chemoreceptor that had to beryllium surgically removed.

Richard Foster, a location head astatine Unite until 2024, said grounds whitethorn beryllium missed because workers are hesitant to study wellness and information concerns. “Young lads pinch families and monolithic mortgages” fearfulness being “blacklisted”, he said.

James (not his existent name), a contractor who useful connected site, says that stricter policies connected PPE and cleaning are “not enough”. “Everyone [on site] comes into interaction pinch biomass … it’s connected nan scaffolds, connected nan bins, everywhere.”

Drax executives internally acknowledged that European accommodation fuelled by locally originated wood chips person less challenges pinch particulate control, but that Drax’s pellets are lighter to vessel crossed nan Atlantic Ocean.

Drax’s GMB representative, Shaune Clarkson, was “shocked” to study from our question and reply that biomass particulate is simply a crab risk. He said: “I don’t judge that astir workers would beryllium alert of these impacts.”

Company documents show Drax was alert of nan wellness risks from wood particulate while it was converting to biomass years earlier HSE’s intervention. In a 2011 email, a Drax worker informed 15 others of nan outcomes of a gathering astir “the dangers and power of moving pinch wood dust”.

The worker said they recovered “concerning” accusation connected “the HSE website” linking to a page that described vulnerability risks specified arsenic crab and lung damage.

A 2013 soul archive acknowledges asthma and crab risks, but says: “You tin beryllium assured that nan controls established by Drax Power Limited will beryllium effective successful preventing wellness problems.”

An soul wellness and information position from 2019 states: “Biomass pellets are not harmful to health.” By that time, aesculapian specialists had diagnosed 5 Drax workers pinch business asthma linked to vulnerability to biomass dust. The adjacent descent is titled: “A often asked question? Is biomass nan caller asbestos?”

The Drax position successful Selby has been protested against by ambiance activists for years complete contamination concerns. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The asbestos comparison is besides made by national managers, who interest location is simply a looming wellness situation among nan hundreds of unit astatine nan Drax site. The national Unite are now keeping a registry of their members’ exposure, arsenic grounds for further lawsuits.

James said that “when asbestos was successful factories, cipher knew it could kill. We do know that biomass is vulnerable … but it takes clip earlier group realise thing is not correct pinch their body. The national registry is for group who person symptoms successful nan future, to beryllium this happened.”

Labour MPs expressed interest astatine nan findings. “Any employer which suppresses accusation from labor is wholly irresponsible,” said Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth. “The Labour authorities must support each applicable authorities nether reappraisal to protect workers and, wherever necessary, punish irresponsible bosses.”

“Workers’ authorities are an important portion of nan modulation to cleanable energy,” said Polly Billington, MP for East Thanet. “Drax intelligibly person questions to answer.”

Witnesses for HSE’s dropped criminal prosecution case, including nan erstwhile mechanical craftsman Shaun Crimmins, said nan regulator assured them “categorically” successful 2023 that “if location were immoderate further cases, they would reinvestigate”.

Five lawsuits person been revenge since then. “If HSE were genuine, they should beryllium revisiting it,” Crimmins said.

HSE said nan regulator had only received 5 general reports of occupational asthma cases astatine Drax.

A Drax spokesperson said: “The HSE discontinued its action against Drax successful 2023 and confirmed that location is nary grounds of continuing consequence of harm from vulnerability to wood dust. The health, information and wellbeing of our colleagues is our apical priority, and we continually reappraisal and update our processes to guarantee everyone moving pinch america stays safe.”