HSE Dust Checks to Also Cover Compliance With COVID Rules
by CCUK Support
As has been the case for the last four year, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is continuing to send out inspectors to assess dust inhalation standards on building sites. In addition, inspectors will now be checking that all firms are being compliant with the necessary COVID-19 rules.
These unannounced inspections are typically to ensure that all businesses are prioritising the health of their staff by putting measures in place that protect them and most importantly their lungs from encountering asbestos, silica and wood dust. According to the HSE, approximately 100 times as many workers will die from diseases caused in the workplace than those that are killed in accidents at work – with more than 3,500 builders every year dying from work-related cancers.
The Head of Construction Division Operations for the HSE in Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland, Sarah Shore, explained why the focus should not just be on COVID-19 but on the traditional risks found in a workplace, “People are at work in construction and still at risk in relation to other risks and we can’t just let that go.” She continued “Health is traditionally the hardest thing to get at – the safety we deal with is often more immediate and everybody can see that, [but dust] is the area where we get the most work-related deaths in the construction industry,”
All inspectors will continue the checks through the rest if the month of October and will ensure all employers and employees are aware of the risks and what has been put in place to prevent them.
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