Workers at TotalEnergies' La Mede refinery seek redress for benzene exposure
More than 180 workers and subcontractors at French oil major TotalEnergies' La Mede refinery, near Marseille, will file complaints in a French labor court on Wednesday to seek redress for benzene exposure, the CGT union said in a statement.
Energy companies are increasingly facing litigation from workers exposed to benzene and other chemicals deemed to be harmful to health, with courts in some jurisdictions awarding high amounts to injured parties.
Lawyers for the Total workers said the French system recognizes preventative claims, meaning that simply being exposed is enough to pursue redress.
"Compensation for anxiety-related harm is a form of claim that ensures, in cases of exposure to a harmful substance that creates a serious risk of developing a pathology, that the resulting anxiety experienced by workers does not go unpunished," the workers' attorney, Jean Eudes Mesland-Althoffer, said.
Workers who go on to develop illnesses as a result of their exposure can then file a separate claim.
The compensation could reach several thousand euros per worker, though labor courts do not cap financial amounts, Mesland-Althoffer added.
TotalEnergies, which operates six French refineries as well as fuel depots and pipelines, did not respond immediately to a request for comment on how many workers in its French operations have come into contact with benzene.
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