Inhalation disorders: training

for employees
www.ohtoolkit.co.uk
Contents

• What’s the issue?

• What’s the issue in our organisation?
• Why should we deal with inhalation problems?
• What are my employer’s responsibilities?
• What are my responsibilities?
• What should I do if I develop inhalation
problems?
• Where can I find out more?
What’s the issue?

• The air in some workplaces contains

hazardous substances in the form of dusts,
fumes, gases and vapours
• If workers inhale them, they can cause
breathing problems, or have a harmful
effect on other parts of the body
What’s the issue?

• Symptoms can vary from mild and irritating

to severe, chronic, debilitating, even death
• Cancer of the respiratory tract can be lethal
• Not all inhalation problems are caused by
work

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asthma.htm
What’s the issue?

Inhalation problems include:

• irritation
• asthma
• rhinitis
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• byssinosis
• pneumoconiosis
• extrinsic allergic alveolitis
• cancer (including mesothelioma)
• inhalation fever
• infections
• asphyxiation
What’s the issue?

Asthma
• One of the most common respiratory diseases
• Between 9 and 15 per cent of asthma in UK
adults is due to occupational factors
• It’s characterised by periodic inflammation of the
bronchi and tightening of the muscles surrounding
them

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asthma/scale.htm
What’s the issue?

Common causes of asthma include:

• chemicals, such as isocyanates and acid
anhydrides
• biological material, such as flour dust and
certain proteins

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/substances.htm
What’s the issue?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Approximately 15% of COPD is work-related
• Approximately 4,000 deaths a year are caused by
past exposure to dusts, chemicals and fumes
• Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are types of
COPD
• The most common cause is smoking

Source: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/copd/index.htm
What’s the issue?

Common causes of COPD include:

• coal dust
• grain and flour dust
• silica dust
• welding fumes

Some of these substances can also cause

other diseases
What’s the issue in Insert your
organisation name
or logo here
our organisation?

Use the supplementary slide here to insert

your own data
• Estimate of number of people exposed to
inhalation risk factors
• Number of cases…
• Number of days’ work lost
Why should we deal with
skin disorders?
• Legal – responsibility under health and
safety law

• Moral – obligation as a good employer

• Financial – dealing with skin problems

reduces sickness absence levels and
saves money
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
requires employers to ensure the health,
safety and welfare of employees while at work
• The Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1999 require the employer
to assess risks and, where necessary, take
action to ensure and safeguard health and
safety, including health surveillance, if
appropriate
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?
• The Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 (as
amended 2004) require employers to
control exposure to hazardous substances
to prevent ill health
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?
Under COSHH, employers must:
• carry out a risk assessment (Reg 6)
• control exposure to hazardous substances (Reg 7)
• have appropriate control measures, and make sure
they’re maintained (Regs 8 and 9)
• provide employees with health surveillance
(Reg 11)
• give employees education, instruction and training
(Reg 12)
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?

Under appendix 3 of the accompanying

Approved Code of Practice:
• exposure to substances with the potential
to cause occupational asthma should be
prevented, or exposure reduced as far as is
reasonably practicable
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?
• Workplace exposure limits (WELs) are
occupational exposure limits set under
COSHH to help protect the health of
workers
• Where principles of good practice for
control are applied, exposure should be
below any relevant WEL
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?

There are separate requirements for

asbestos and lead:
• the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
• the Control of Lead at Work Regulations
2002
What are my employer’s
responsibilities?
• Under RIDDOR 1995,* all cases of
occupational respiratory disease that are
confirmed by a doctor must be reported to the
HSE

* Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

How can we deal with
inhalation problems?

My employer needs to check:

• which agents in the workplace could cause
inhalation problems
• suppliers’ labels and literature
• safety data sheets produced by
manufacturers
How can we deal with
inhalation problems?
My employer needs to:
• consider eliminating the use of hazardous
substances
• consider using ‘safer’ substances
• control exposure by using engineering controls, eg
automation, enclosure, local exhaust ventilation
• consider modifying processes to minimise exposure
• set up good working practices
• provide suitable breathing protection equipment
What are my
responsibilities?
• You have a duty to take care of your health and safety
• Report any respiratory problems
• Take part in the risk assessment process
• Read management communications
• Ask for information (data sheets, labels) on the
substances you use
• Use the controls properly, including breathing protection
equipment
• Attend training
• Attend for lung function tests and health surveillance when
asked to do so
What should I do if I develop
inhalation problems?

• Speak to your manager and/or safety

representative
• Visit your GP or occupational health
department at work
What should I do if I develop
inhalation problems?

• Don’t ignore the problem and struggle on

• Don’t assume that it will eventually
disappear – it’s more likely to get worse
Where can I find out
more?
• The HSE has a free leaflet ‘Breathe freely: a
workers’ information card on occupational
asthma’*
• Asthma UK† and the British Lung Foundation‡
have useful information on occupational lung
disease, including asthma and COPD

* www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg172.pdf
†
www.asthma.org.uk
‡
www.lunguk.org
IOSH is Europe's leading body for health and safety professionals. We
have over 37,000 members worldwide, including more than 13,000
Chartered Safety and Health Practitioners.
The Institution was founded in 1945 and is an independent, not-for-profit
organisation that sets professional standards, supports and develops
members and provides authoritative advice and guidance on health and
safety issues. IOSH is formally recognised by the ILO as an
international non-governmental organisation.

The IOM is a major independent centre of scientific excellence in the

fields of occupational and environmental health, hygiene and safety.
We were founded as a charity in 1969 by the UK coal industry in
conjunction with the University of Edinburgh and became fully
independent in 1990. Our mission is to benefit those at work and in the
community by providing quality research, consultancy and training in
health, hygiene and safety and by maintaining our independent,
impartial position as an international centre of excellence.