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Brian Harris had been a photographer all his life until an accident at work exposed him to photographic chemicals. He was diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity, and is so sensitive to several chemicals that he can no longer work as a photographer, or enjoy an evening at the pub, and doubts that he will ever work again.

In 1997, after a five year legal battle supported by his union MSF, Brian won a 32,000 out-of-court settlement from Siemens. 28,000 was clawed back by the DSS, and Brian is still fighting for his retirement pension. Like Tony Bradshaw, Brian worked for a large employer that he expected would safeguard his health. He also blames the law for failing to protect him.

Brian, 57, worked for Siemens Plessey at Cowes on the Isle of Wight from 1982 to 1992. Originally employed as a photographer, he also had to develop and print the photographs as the department was so small. "Although I didn't go there to do processing, we all mucked in," Brian says.

Over 1,000 people worked on the Cowes site, but according to Brian, health and safety was not high on the company's agenda. Even getting them to hold a fire drill was a battle. He says, "Health and safety was an inconvenience to them. Their attitude was, 'Why spend money on health and safety when, if you forget it, it doesn't cost you anything?'."

When Brian arrived at Siemens, the photographic unit was housed in what looked like an old cow shed. "It was a joke on site," Brian says. "You couldn't print if it was windy because the walls used to vibrate and shake the enlarger." And the converted building they moved into in 1991 was not much better. Brian remembers, "The studio was far too small, and ventilation was the last consideration. It was cleaner, but that was all."

Brian traces his chemical sensitivity to the early autumn of 1991, when an old Kryonite colour processor was converted to run at a higher temperature, using 'rapid access' chemicals. Despite the change, no new COSHH assessment was done. One evening soon after the conversion Brian went home and remembers that his eyes felt sore, which he mentioned to his boss the following day.

Two days later the Water Board warned Siemens that supply to the site would be cut off for part of the day. Although the Kryonite processor needed circulating water, Brian was told to keep it running to finish an urgent job.

As Brian explains, "The day of the accident they cut the water supply off. I could smell the fumes, they were stinging my eyes, but of course you don't know that it's going to do you any damage. I told the boss three times that something was wrong, but he told me they had to have the film that night. The process ran at a much higher temperature - I think that was half the problem - plus there was no water in this machine the day of the accident, so the chemicals were not being washed off. They were going through a heated chamber to dry the film, that was giving off fumes into the working area. There were two of us in there and both of us were affected. At home that night I was violently sick, and when I came in the next morning the fumes were still there. It looked like someone had been smoking in the room. Within 20 minutes John (Brian's colleague) passed out." That weekend Brian was no better. "I was vomiting, and had pains in my knuckles, arms and spine. I hurt all over. I thought I had 'flu," he says.

Brian returned to work the following week, and worked in the department until February 1992. He still suffered from skin and eye irritation, vomiting and joint pains, but as well as suffering symptoms at work, chemicals outside work were also beginning to trouble him.

In August 1992, Brian retired and has found it very difficult to get work since then. He says, "I don't think any employer will ever look at me. If I could get a job at my age, which is not going to be easy, it only takes someone walk in wearing scent and I become ill again."

Brian now spends much of his time outside, where he feels better, flying model aeroplanes. "I have come to terms with it," he says. "I used to enjoy going to pubs and restaurants, but all the pleasure has gone out of it now ... I fly my gliders, and stay out in the fresh air. I'm lucky I live here. If I lived in town, I don't know what I'd do." But what Brian has not come to terms with is that the law failed to protect his health, and that Siemens were not prosecuted or fined.

"To me, COSHH is a useless law. It's an absolute waste of time - a management tool used against employees - it has no effect on the shop floor. This could have been prevented if the COSHH Regs meant anything. If COSHH had teeth, it would have meant that someone would have been responsible for checking the equipment, the chemicals and the ventilation, and that if there was a problem someone had the authority to say 'stop' ... I can't ever put into words what they did to me," he says.

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