Throughout June the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be conducting inspections of construction sites as part of the month-long respiratory health initiative, Dust Kills. The campaign focuses on respiratory risks and occupational lung disease.
Each year in the construction industry, there are thousands of preventable cases of ill health caused by lung disease due to past exposure to dust at work. These diseases often have a life-changing impact and can result in an early death.
Inspectors will be checking the control measures in place to protect workers from inhaling construction dust including Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) and wood dust to ensure workers’ health is being protected. If safety risks or other areas of concern are identified, inspectors will take the necessary action to deal with them.
HSE’s chief inspector of construction, Sarah Jardine, said: “Through our inspection initiatives, inspectors can visit a range of construction sites to check the action businesses are taking to ensure their workers’ health is being protected. Through speaking to dutyholders we can make sure they have considered the job from start to finish and are effectively managing the risks.
We want everyone, workers and their employers, to be aware of the risks associated with any task that produces dust and use effective control measures, such as water suppression, extraction and masks, to prevent exposure to dust to ensure they are protected from harm and ill health.”
For more information on the programme of inspections visit the Work Right campaign website: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/construction-dust/
How can we help?
As one of the UK’s leading workplace Health and Safety Consultants we offer a range of services which can help you assess and control Health and Safety risks within your organisation. The compliance services we offer include:
- Health and Safety audits and inspections
- Workplace exposure monitoring and risk assessments (e.g. Dust, Noise, Fumes)
- Legionella risk assessments
- Health and Safety training courses
- Asbestos surveys and inspections
Click here for more information on the services we provide or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Source: https://press.hse.gov.uk/
