HSE targets dust

15 May 2023

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is gearing up for a summer campaign of targeting construction sites across Great Britain to highlight awareness of respiratory risks from exposure to dust.

Supported by HSE’s Dust Kills campaign, site inspections start today and will continue throughout the rest of May, June and July.

HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction, Michael Thomas, said: “Every year we see construction workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work. This is unacceptable in the 21st century, when occupational lung disease is preventable.

“We are urging employers and workers to take the necessary precautions today to protect their long-term lung health, to avoid them and their families suffering from the devastating impact that can result.”

The inspections, part of a respiratory health intervention initiative, will specifically focus on dust control, checking that employers and workers know the risks, plan their work, and are using the right controls.

Inspectors will check the control measures in place to protect workers from inhaling construction dusts including silica (respirable crystalline silica/RCS) and wood dust. 

Michael Thomas continued: “Our inspectors will visit a range of construction sites to check businesses are taking the necessary action to ensure their workers’ long-term respiratory health is being protected. Through engaging with those on site, we can make sure they have considered the job from start to finish, have considered the risks at each stage, and are managing the risks with effective measures in line with the broad hierarchy of control options such as water suppression, extraction, and as a last resort Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).

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