News Notes: Employees Limited To Workers Comp For Chemical Exposure

Three unskilled laborers who were hired to clean a film lab at Metrocolor Laboratories in Los Angeles sued, claiming Metrocolor told them to use a particular cleaning substance without revealing that it contained hazardous chemicals that can cause brain and nervous system damage. The workers’ skin became soaked with the liquid as it rained down on them, and the only protective equipment they received were rubber gloves, which disintegrated after a half-hour’s use. The workers argued that they should be allowed to sue for damages because Metrocolor wrongfully concealed unsafe working conditions and violated environmental safety regulations. But a California Court of Appeal has dismissed the case, ruling that workers’ compensation is the employees’ only remedy, even if the employer knowingly hid unsafe working conditions.