Land and Climate Review
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Land and Climate Review
@landclimate.bsky.social
Investigations, features and opinion on land-use and the climate crisis.

Listen to The Land & Climate Podcast every other Friday: www.landclimate.org/podcast
@pollybillington.bsky.social: “Drax clearly have questions to answer.”

@barrygardiner.bsky.social: "This investigation raises serious questions for Drax, which must be answered."

Drax said “health, safety and wellbeing" is their "top priority, and we continually review and update our processes.”
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
@andymcdonaldmp.bsky.social said that if measures were not “taken appropriately to protect staff, and they have suffered as a result, then the full legal consequences must flow from that both in civil and criminal terms.”

www.landclimate.org/asthma
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Labour MPs expressed concern at the findings. @jontrickett.bsky.social said “Our labour movement has long proclaimed that an injury to one is an injury to all.
The Labour Government must keep all relevant legislation under review to protect workers and, where necessary, punish irresponsible bosses.”
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"Once they put their head above the parapet, their head gets blown off and they’re blacklisted."

Unions claimed staff are scared to report illness in case they lose work. @unitetheunion.bsky.social are now keeping a register of workers on site, to prepare for further lawsuits.
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
The UK Health and Safety Regulator dropped a criminal prosecution case in 2023, saying there is no evidence of continuing harm.

@thompsons.law industrial disease specialist Mark Allen said “there can be long delays before symptoms develop, and we may not yet know the full extent of those affected”
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
“We would just sit around reading books and magazines…the workshop became known as the leper colony.”

Other workers told us how they were confined to isolated rooms at Drax for over 18 months, after becoming too sick to continue normal work.

“We have felt humiliated, ignored and manipulated"
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"I was in my 40s, but my lung age was 60, then 65, then 68.”

One former Drax worker interviewed is Martyn Sweet, who was hospitalised twice following asthma attacks at the UK's largest power station. He said he was not warned about health impacts before biomass was first used on site.
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM
You can read the longer article on our site at the link below.

@bertiehb.bsky.social and @jaysimhanspal.bsky.social gathered interviews with workers, unions, and lawyers, as well as internal Drax documents to tell a story that spans two decades.

www.landclimate.org/asthma/
Drax biomass led to disabling health conditions, say unions and workers - Land and Climate Review
The UK's largest power plant is facing worker lawsuits after the national health and safety regulator dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation can reveal.
www.landclimate.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:20 PM