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Lung cancer Silicosis Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) And breathing in fine particles of wood
dust can lead to the development of Asthma The risk of lung disease is linked to
people who regularly breathe construction dust over a period of time, not on the
odd occasion.
To protect the lung, the COSHH Regulations sets a limit on the amount of these
dusts that you can breathe (called a Workplace Exposure Limit or WEL) when
averaged over a normal working day. These limits are not a large amount of dust:
when compared to a penny it is tiny – like a small pinch of salt:
This limit is the legal maximum; the most you can breathe after the right controls
have been used.
How to reduce the amount of dust?
1. Reduce the amount of cutting by using the best sizes of building products.
2. Use a less powerful tool e.g. a block cutter instead of angle grinder.
3. Using a different method of work altogether – e.g. using a nail gun to
direct fasten cable trays instead of drilling holes first.
Please always work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust
masks that specially designed to filter out microscopic particles and use the
dust extraction facility at all time.
For more information please see the HSE website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis69.pdf
WARNING ! Some dust particles created by power sanding, sawing,
grinding, drill and other construction jobs contain chemicals known to
cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some
examples of these chemicals are:
- Lead from lead-based paints.
- Crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other masonry
products.
- Arsenic and chromium from chemically treated timber.
- Your risk from these exposures varies, depending upon how often
you do this type of work. To reduce your exposure to these
chemicals:
- Work in a well-ventilated area.
- Work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust masks
that are specially designed to filter microscopic particles.
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