HSE targets dust

27 September 2021

As essential links in the supply chain between suppliers and end users, hirers play a key role in providing Health & Safety information and advice on dust might be worth highlighting in the coming weeks. 

HSE (Health and Safety Executive) inspectors across Britain will be targeting construction firms to check that their health standards are up to scratch during a month-long inspection initiative, starting on Monday 4 October. 

This will include assessing the control measures in place to protect workers’ lungs from construction dust including silica, asbestos and wood dust. 

HSE’s chief inspector of construction, Sarah Jardine, said: “Around 100 times as many workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work than are actually killed in construction accidents. 

“We want businesses and their workers to think of the job from start to finish and avoid creating dust by working in different ways to keep dust down and wear the right protective equipment,” she added.  

HSE is being supported by the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG) and Tier 1 industry contractors. Throughout October, HCLG members will carry out more than 1,000 site visits to assess the effectiveness of measures in place to controls workers’ exposure to respiratory risks from dust. 

Photo: Gundula Vogel/Pixabay

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