HSE Dust Blitz Campaign

October sees the start of the HSE Dust Blitz Campaign, aimed at preventing construction industry deaths caused by dust. The HSE Dust Blitz Campaign is aimed at educating construction site workers in identifying and mitigating the hazards associated with common types of dust found in the demolition and construction of buildings.

The HSE Says

Chief inspector of construction at HSE, Peter Baker said:

“Around 100 times as many workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work than are killed in construction accidents. Annually, work-related cancers, mainly linked to asbestos and silica, are estimated to kill 3,500 people from the industry. Thousands of others suffer life-changing illnesses from their work.

Not all lung diseases take years to develop. Some, like acute silicosis or occupational asthma, can occur more quickly. Because of this, we’ve launched this inspection initiative to find out what exactly businesses in the construction industry are doing today to protect their workers’ health, particularly when it comes to exposure to dust and damage to the lungs.

Most importantly, We want construction workers to be aware of the risks associated with the activities they carry out on a daily basis; be conscious of the fact their work may create hazardous dust; and consider how this could affect their health, in some cases irreversibly.

We want businesses and their workers to think of the job from start to finish and avoid creating dust or disturbing asbestos by working in different ways.

We want to see construction firms encouraging their workers to firstly keep the dust down and wear the right mask and clothing.

Ultimately, we want construction workers’ lungs to be protected from ill health, so they can go home healthy to their families and enjoy long careers in this important industry.”

Safeline Says

The dangers of Asbestos dust have been known for almost a century now, and most importantly this campaign sees the extension of the dust hazard present in all forms of construction. Because this is such an important issue, Safeline Environmental are at the forefront in promoting the site and ultimately worker safety. For more details on the service that the Safeline teams can offer please click here.

Or call on 01299 251083 and speak to one of the Safeline team. Let's make the HSE Dust Blitz Campaign a real success.