HSE Dust Kills campaign – tackling occupational lung disease on construction sites
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ?are conducting a month-long focus on respiratory risks and occupational lung disease on construction sites across Britain. The initiative is part of the?Dust Kills campaign , supported by industry partners, aimed at improving understanding around the dangers of dust exposure.
Site inspections will be taking place to gauge awareness of occupational lung disease risks, speaking to employers and workers, and assessing the control measures implemented to prevent exposure to dust in the workplace. The inspections will review design and work planning, as well as checking that the appropriate controls are in place.
The Dust Kills campaign is supported by industry partners:
Tina Conroy, lead of BOHS’s?Breathe Freely ?in Construction campaign, highlights an important figure in the Dust Kills introduction video: ‘Construction workers are 100 times more likely to die from occupational disease that was caused by exposure to dust generated in their work than a workplace accident’. In 2019/20, there were 40 fatal injuries in the construction industry compared with 8,000 cases of lung disease.?
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Occupational lung diseases are typically long latency illnesses, meaning they develop many years after the exposure that caused or contributed to them. This is why dust is referred to as a ‘silent’ or ‘invisible’ killer: excessive, repeated exposure can occur without being noticed. Lung disease symptoms appear after a long period – usually at least 10 years – by which time it is too late to reverse or treat the condition.?
This makes it difficult but all the more important to raise awareness of the risks. Education and training aimed at both workers and employers seeks to improve understanding around the need to prevent dust exposure.
Peter Crosland, National Civil Engineering Director for CECA and Chairman of the HSE Tackling Ill Health working group, explores the complex reasons why harmful dust exposure still occurs in construction. ‘Some of the possible reasons include lack of awareness of legal duties of employers, lack of awareness of the damage dust can actually cause, lack of time on projects to plan work properly – and that’s both at the design stage and on site. And then there is a lack of money to provide appropriate?RPE ?and?PPE ?measures where appropriate.’?
The Dust Kills campaign seeks to ensure that employers and workers know the risks from construction dust, appropriate control measures are in place, and there is evidence of planning to eliminate and avoid exposure.
Reducing dust exposure in the workplace should always follow the hierarchy of controls. Job design and planning can help to eliminate respiratory hazards.?
Implementation of a?respiratory protective equipment (RPE) programme ?following the hierarchy of controls ensures workers are protected.
1. Avoid the task
Think about the risks before work begins. Is the task absolutely necessary??
2. Use an alternative?
If the task must be carried out, is there an alternative material that could be used to reduce or eliminate the respiratory hazard??
3. Use a different process
If the task cannot be avoided and there is no suitable alternative material, could the material be processed in another way? Could materials be cut or formed prior to being transported on site??
4. Isolate the hazard?
Identify the location or task where hazardous substances are released into the workplace – (this may be a single location or task, or many that could change) and begin planning how to manage the risks.
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5. Enclosure
Enclosing the hazard will help to minimise exposure by preventing substances escaping into other areas of the workplace.?
6. Suppression and extraction
Consider employing equipment to suppress a particulate hazard at source or to extract hazardous gas / vapours from the work area.?
7. Assess residual risk?
Methods of enclosure, extraction, and suppression may not remove all contaminants - it is therefore necessary to assess the amount still present. To assess residual contaminant levels, measurements must be taken using equipment such as personal dosimeters or air sampling pumps. These measurements are used to determine the Required Protection Factor (RPF).
8. Select adequate RPE?
Select RPE that will provide adequate protection against the hazard – this involves understanding the concentration of the hazard and the performance of different respirator types.
9. Select suitable RPE
Select RPE that will be suitable for use – this means considering the type of task, work environment, and the wearer.
10. Train and maintain
An effective system of maintenance for RPE is essential to ensure the equipment continues to provide the level of protection for which it is designed. Maintenance includes cleaning, examination, replacement, repair, and testing.
Correct maintenance of RPE is essential to ensure the respirator continues to perform and provide the correct protection level.
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Register for the?Construction dust awareness webinar? to learn more about the dangers of construction dust and about the correct selection of respiratory protection in an industrial environment.?
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Find out more about the?Dust Kills initiative and HSE site inspections .
Have any more respiratory protection questions? Take a look at our?respiratory protection faq !
Find out more about our?range of respiratory protection .
Take a look at our new?respiratory guide .
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2 年They should also visit the 1-2man band builders with no H&S policy. They pose a very big risk. I have experience this last year dust every where when cutting.