More than 12,000 people die each year from respiratory diseases caused by occupational exposure to vapour, dust, gases, fumes and fibres, according to research by the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). All of these deaths are avoidable if sensible and practical precautions are taken.
A frightening statistic revealed by this research is that more than half of the 5.5 million people in 224,000 workplaces facing a risk in the UK do not use any form of respiratory protection equipment (RPE). Less than 45% of the workers who do use RPE are using products that fits properly.
For these reasons, the BSIF and the HSE, with support from a number of safety industry organisations and the TUC, have launched the ‘Clean Air? – Take Care!’ campaign, which aims to provide simple guidance and advice for employers and workers on the importance of RPE and how to make the correct choice and select products that fit properly and are comfortable to wear.
“We aim with this campaign to ensure better protection of employees at risk from respiratory hazards in their workplaces, improve the use of RPE, and educate industry,” said David Hall, chairman of the BSIF. Steve Perkins, chief executive of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), which is giving public backing to the campaign, added: “The correct selection and use of RPE is the last line of defence for a worker; it is important to get it right.
“We need to take respiratory hazards seriously and increase awareness, particularly in SMEs, by informing, educating and assisting employers, managers, employees and specifiers of products in the proper implementation of RPE.”
A selection of five ‘tools’ is available to support the campaign, including a workplace poster to help promote best practice and a simple RPE Product Selection Guide, both of which can be downloaded free from www.cleanairtakecare.org. It is also possible to add a company logo to these two products for a fee.
There is also a DVD featuring two films on the correct use of RPE from a respirator user’s point of view and advice on preventing lung disease from a GP, plus a 12-minute Tool Box presentation on how to select and use respirators, which is aimed at safety managers.
“These are simple messages aimed at getting at the 2.75 million people who aren’t wearing RPE, or who are using it incorrectly,” said David Lummis of the BSIF.
BSIF T +44 1745 585600 {encode="b.s.i.f@btconnect.com" title="b.s.i.f@btconnect.com"} www.bsif.co.uk www.hse.gov.uk