Two laboratory staff members at Cardiff University have been left with lifelong breathing conditions after the university failed to protect them from animal allergens in its research facilities for a period spanning 15 years. The university was fined £280,000 and ordered to pay nearly £12,000 in costs at Cardiff Magistrates Court on 30 April after admitting it had breached health and safety legislation. One of the two affected workers can no longer continue in their job. The other described struggling to breathe during ordinary daily activities including walking upstairs or holding a conversation.
As reported by the BBC the Health and Safety Executive found that from 2008 to 2025 Cardiff University failed to identify and put in place adequate controls to prevent workers being exposed to animal allergens in its laboratory animal facilities. The HSE described a 15-year failure as truly concerning.
