HSE to target building site dust

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a health and safety inspections blitz targeting the handling of building site dust.

Targeted health inspections started on Monday 15 May and run to Friday 14 July.

They support the HSE’s Dust Kills campaign, a respiratory health intervention initiative.

Inspections will focus on dust control, checking employers and workers know the risks, plan their work, and use the right controls.

(Image courtesy of HSE)

Inspectors will check control measures in place to protect workers from inhaling building site dusts like silica (Respirable Crystalline Silica/RCS) and wood dust.

Additionally, they will gain assurances workers identify, remove, or manage asbestos-containing materials to prevent or reduce exposure.

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.”

For more information, visit Workright Campaign Site.