The campaign for the exemption of prescribed inhalers (salbutamol) for emergency use in commercial food premises.

In February 2020, nearly qualified Chef Lauren Reid set out for her shift in her home city of Glasgow. during that day Lauren suffered a severe Asthma attack and was without her inhaler. She suffered a cardiac arrest which led to massive brain damage and later that night Lauren passed away. Lauren way only 19.

We will never know why Lauren was without her inhaler, she carried it constantly, or what caused her to trigger an attack but we now know that had there been an emergency Salbutamol inhaler kit, similar to those kept in schools Lauren could well be alive today.

In 2014 an amendment was made to the Human Medicines Act allowing the emergency use of Salbutamol without a prescription on school premises in the UK, and we believe that a similar exemption should now apply to commercial food premises.

We believe that the dangers of Occupational Asthma are very real and increasing and recognised “triggers” such as flour, fumes, heat, dust, odours, and lack of fresh air are common within the Catering Sector meaning that employees in this sector are of especially high risk of an Asthma attack

Laurens Mother Elaine Cunningham has started this campaign and is supported by the Unichef, The National Chefs Union. We know that Laurens death should not be forgotten and, in her honour, we have to ensure that needless deaths in the workplace should never happen again.

Lauren died doing the job she loved, help us to ensure that in the 21st century we do all we can to prevent incidents such as this.

We thank you for your kind support in bringing about #laurenslaw.

Petition: To allow non-prescribed storage of Salbutamol Inhalers in Commercial Kitchens

PETITION.PARLIAMENT.UK

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In 2014 the Human Medicines Act was amended so that schools could keep emergency stocks of salbutamol inhalers without prescription. Asthma is increasing in the UK and we believe that adult sufferers of Asthma working...