A cross-party group of MPs has said construction apprentices must learn about the risks of inhaling silica as part of their syllabus, one of ten priorities aimed at preventing silicosis.
By Belinda Liversedge on 24 January 2023
Breathing in silica dust during tasks like cutting and sanding concrete, rock and stone can cause debilitating and often fatal lung diseases – making it vital employers prevent or reduce exposure.
By Craig Lewis, Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) on 18 October 2022
A collaborative investigation into dust exposure levels during road planing works on the M25 motorway led to dust levels being cut by half – and some vital lessons for the highways maintenance industry on preventing respiratory disease.
By Steve Perkins, Steve Perkins Associates Limited on 05 September 2022
“What gets measured gets managed.” So said Peter Drucker, the well-known management thinker. And it’s generally true. Unfortunately, when it comes to protecting the physical health of our workers from exposures that cause disease and death, we tend to count the corpses rather than focus on controlling the exposures that produce them.
By Steve Perkins, Steve Perkins Associates on 16 August 2022
HSE is launching a programme of inspections focused on lung health this month.
By Belinda Liversedge on 05 May 2021
With 12,000 people thought to be dying from occupational lung disease every year in Britain, the British Occupational Hygiene Society is urging employers to adopt good exposure controls to protect workers from harmful airborne substances.
By Chris Keen, BOHS on 05 January 2021
With poor lung health a factor in Covid-19, a new report into the health impacts of e-cigarettes is worth considering.
By Belinda Liversedge on 18 September 2020
Demolition, brick cutting, the use of cement, wood and stone working, drilling, exposure to paint and sanding down surfaces in preparation. These are just some of the many construction-related activities where dust is prevalent and where it needs to be controlled.
By Louise Hosking, Hosking Associates on 07 October 2019
London’s new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) promises to lower toxic emissions by forcing vehicles to pay more to enter central London. But what has been the success of earlier measures to crack down on polluting traffic and how far have they reduced ill health in the city?
By Belinda Liversedge on 23 May 2019
Senior doctors have called for links between air pollution and lung cancer in outdoor workers to be made clearer, following new evidence of large numbers of non-smokers suffering from the disease.
By Belinda Liversedge on 20 May 2019
