A serious occupational accident by poisoning at the Gare de Lyon, against a backdrop of difficult working conditions

“Around 7 p.m., my manager arrives with a cup. I ask him what it is. He tells me three times to drink it. I end up doing it, because I trust him. It immediately burned my whole body. » The story is chilling: Sunday November 13, 2022, while he was working like every weekend in the Pierre Hermé store at the Gare de Lyon, Gabriel (the first name has been changed) would have been offered a cup of the nearby Starbucks brand, which is managed by the same company, Select Service Partners (SSP).

Far from being a juice, the product he ingests will turn out to be a caustic soda-based dishwashing detergent. Evacuated by the firefighters, this student in a pro plumbing baccalaureate will finally spend two weeks in an artificial coma, undergoing numerous surgical operations which will leave him with sequelae, in particular at the level of the esophagus.

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We confirm that an SSP employee at Gare de Lyon Paris was unfortunately involved in this serious work accident which led to his hospitalization. Our thoughts go out to our colleague at this difficult time, reacts to the Worldthe British management of the commercial catering company managing several shops in the station, including the famous Le Train Bleu restaurant. Immediately after the accident, we launched an investigation in collaboration with the Health, Safety and Working Conditions Commission (CSSCT), in order to better understand the circumstances of the accident. SSP, which has 23,000 employees, including 3,000 in France, did not give further details.

What exactly happened? In the minutes of a regular meeting of the CSSCT, held eleven days after the events, while Gabriel was still in a coma, the sequence of events is as follows: “The point of sale was out of stock on a cleaning product, which is why they went to another point of sale to collect some product to do their washing. This product was transferred to a goblet-type container. The cup was brought back to Pierre Hermé and placed next to the sink, where an employee was cleaning. Since it was a standard cup with no particular indication, the victim, seeing the cup, thought it was fruit juice and took a sip. » A story that differs from the testimony of the victim.

Several health and safety instructions were not respected

Made aware of the case, representatives of the SUD Hôtellerie-Restauration federation have asked for an investigation to be launched. Labor inspection and occupational medicine also intervened, while Gabriel’s family filed a complaint. Furthermore, a “police investigation is underway to determine whether the poisoning is voluntary or not on the part of the manager, according to which criminal proceedings will take place”says Francine Biboum, lawyer for the family of Gabriel, who should attack SSP to demonstrate an inexcusable fault on the part of the employer.

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