Early findings from HSE’s latest Dust Kills health campaign
Members will be aware the law requires employers to prevent the ill health of their workers as far as is reasonably practicable. This includes prevention or adequate control of workers’ exposure to construction dust.
Whilst elimination of the risk of exposure to dust for workers is the gold standard, and can be achieved through good design and planning, where this is not possible measures should be put in place to control dust and provide workers with appropriately fitted respiratory protective equipment (RPE). Employees also have a responsibility to wear and maintain the RPE provided by their employer.
A recent campaign led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), focussing on what businesses in the construction industry are currently doing to prevent or control the risks from construction dust, revealed a mixture of good and poor practice.
Full details of the campaign will be released later this year, but the Association would like to remind members of the importance of managing the risks associated with construction dust.
HSE guidance states employers must do three things:
- Assess the risks
- Control the risks
- Review the control
The best solution is to stop dust entirely or isolate it from site. Practical solutions for landscape operatives include:
- Having the product cut by the supplier
- Cutting the product off-site
If this is not possible, the dust should be controlled and prevented from entering the air on-site with the use of:
- Water (to supress the dust)
- On-tool extraction of dust
Respiratory protection equipment (RPE) may also be required, where the other measures do not reduce exposure or cannot be used. The RPE used must be:
- Adequate for the amount and type of dust. RPE has an assigned protection factor (APF) which shows how much protection it gives the wearer. The general level for construction dust is an APF of 20. This means the wearer only breathes one twentieth of the amount of dust in the air.
- Suitable for the work
- Compatible with other PPE
- Fit the user. Face fit testing is required for tight-fitting masks
- Worn correctly. Anyone using tight-fitting masks must also be clean shaven
Other controls include:
- Limiting the number of people near where the dust is created
- Rotating individuals undertaking the work which creates dust
- Enclosing the work which creates dust
- Selecting work clothes that do not attract and retain dust
Regular checks to ensure the controls are being followed by all staff are also necessary.
More detail is available from the HSE campaign webpage, below.