Incident at the work place (Karolinska Institutet)
Hi! I’m a PhD student at Karolinska Institutet. Recently I’ve had an incident where I was developing x-ray films in a developing room (dark room) and I had a strong allergic reaction. I got itchy eyes and skin, stuffed sinuses, and rubbing nose, which lasted for hours after the incident. I filed an incident report and an investigation was made, and HR informed me that there was someone changing the chemicals for the developing machine in this room on the same day. These chemicals are known to be harmful and causing “serious skin, eye, and respiratory irritation” and may cause “serious eye damage”. What’s worse is that I was informed that for some reason the ventilation within this room was shut off and there was no way to know this because someone covered the sign that shows whether ventilation is swtiched on or off. I am quite upset at how grossly irresponsible this was, and would like to ensure that the university does everything it can to fix this. But I’m also worried about whether this could have led to any long term health consequences that would appear later and I don’t know what is the best way to proceed with this matter. Could I talk to someone who can give me advice?
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The sequence of events you describe sounds like a very serious incident and I understand your upset. The incident must be thoroughly investigated by the employer so that similar situations do not occur again. The employer is responsible for the work environment and must ensure that ill health and accidents are prevented as far as possible. In your case, it is clear that the procedures have failed. It is very important that you fill in a work injury report regarding the incident, the employer and possibly affected protection representative must participate, you can do it at the following link: https://anmalarbetsskada.se/
Ask the employer who is the protection representative for the employees at your workplace and contact that person for support and advice.
You may also be entitled to compensation, read more at the following links:
Skador i arbetet (forsakringskassan.se)
Arbetsskadeförsäkring – läs mer och anmäl - Afa Försäkring (afaforsakring.se)
It is very important that your injuries are documented if it turns out that you will suffer permanent damage from what happened.
If you want further advice, you can call us on 08-466 24 80 at 8.30-12.00 Monday to Friday.
Sincerely