Yes, the death of Thierry Morfoisse is indeed a work accident.
This was confirmed by the Social Security Court (Tass) of Saint-Brieuc on Thursday, referring to "the professional nature of the accident that occurred on July 22, 2009".
On the other hand, the justice rejected the family of Thierry Morfoisse for his request for “recognition of an inexcusable fault on the part of the Nicol Environnement company”.
In 2009, the 48-year-old man died of heart failure while driving.
He had just transported three skips of more than 20 tonnes of green algae from their storage location in Binic, to the Lantic waste reception center.
His family has since tried to gain recognition for the determining role played in death by hydrogen sulphide, a potentially deadly toxic gas that emanates from decomposing algae. In June 2018, the Tass recognized the accident at work. The family has since asked for the recognition of the inexcusable fault of the employer, in the absence of protection and information measures.
On this point, he takes up the conclusions rendered in the criminal proceedings in June 2016. Parisian judges had then pronounced an order of dismissal, failing to have been able to demonstrate "the existence of a direct and certain causal link" between the death and “exposure to possible inhalation of hydrogen sulfide”.
The Tass believes this time that "the absence of preventive measures was not a necessary cause of the death of Thierry Morfoisse", he concludes.
The family plans to appeal.
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Green algae
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Saint Brieuc
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Work accident