Lincolnshire Stained Glass fined over lead poisoning
A stained glass restorer has been fined after one of his employees suffered severe lead poisoning.
Doctors found David Doherty, from Lancashire, had five times the normal amount of lead in his blood after five years of restoring windows.
Lincolnshire Stained Glass owner David Sear, 59, from Theddlethorpe, admitted failing to control the risk from lead exposure at Lincoln Magistrates Court.
He was fined and ordered to pay £36,000 in total.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mr Sear's six workers had not worn protective overalls or masks and had not been advised on the risks and symptoms of lead poisoning.
Mr Doherty said he had suffered from nausea, infections and a lost appetite for a number of years before he was eventually diagnosed in 2011.
After the hearing, the 26-year-old, said the "whole experience has ruined my life".
"The first I knew anything about working safely with lead was when the Health and Safety Executive took my statement.
"I had no training and didn't take any certificates in working with lead - I even used to go home in the clothes I'd been working in."
He added that treatment for the poisoning had begun to work and he hoped to return to work soon.
HSE inspector Lorraine Nicholls said Sear was "the owner of a specialist business that has been operating for some 30 years [and] had no excuse for turning a blind eye to the known risks".