Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is found in stone, rocks, sands and clays.
Silica dust is deadly, killing hundreds of people in the UK each year. Because silica dust is found in a lot of building materials, it’s difficult to avoid. But avoid it, you must. Because the law, and your health, require you to. How much silica dust is harmful, and what are the silica dust exposure limits?
Silica dust kills around 800 people every year in the UK.
And if you work in construction, silica dust is difficult to avoid.
If you carry out work that requires you to cut, sand, drill or carve materials containing silica, you create and release dust. This fine dust is known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS). This fine dust is what can be inhaled deeply into your lungs, causing long-term irreversible damage to your health.
Approximate Crystalline Silica Content in various materials
You can find out more about WELs and how to calculate them HERE
Exposure to RCS over a long period can cause fibrosis (hardening or scarring) of the lung tissue with a consequent loss of lung function. Sufferers are likely to have severe shortness of breath and may find it difficult or impossible to walk even short distances or up stairs. The effect continues to develop after exposure has stopped and is irreversible. Sufferers usually become house- or bed-bound and often die prematurely due to heart failure.
Acute silicosis is a rare complication of short-term exposure to very large amounts of silica. This condition is life-threatening and associated with very significant clinical consequences.
Silica may also be linked to lung cancer. Precautions taken to control the risk of fibrosis will serve to control the risk of lung cancer. Workers with silicosis are at an increased risk of tuberculosis, kidney disease and arthritis. Exposure to RCS may also cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations apply to any substances that can harm health. That doesn’t just mean chemicals or substances in packaging and containers that you buy in. It also includes hazardous dust that is produced as part of your work processes.
Exposure monitoring is needed for work with harmful substances, such as asbestos and lead may also be required as part of the COSHH risk assessments. Our specialist team is highly qualified in the different methods of monitoring exposure. No matter how complex the issue, Safety First can find the right sampling strategy for you.
Safety First is experienced in delivering a complete range of occupational exposure monitoring services to provide you with confirmation that your control measures are adequate and workplace exposure limits are not exceeded.
Contact us if you wish to find out more, alternatively contact Safety First Group Ltd.
Guest Post.
HSE publishes a range of statistics relating to health and safety in Great Britain. Using a variety of data sources, including surveys and surveillance schemes, they provide statistics on:
The HSE team who produce and disseminate the statistics are all members of the Government Statistical Service. Their products and systems are audited by the UK Statistics Authority and have been designated with the National Statistics quality standard.
Contact us if you require health and safety advice.
Making sure your business is a safe place for people to work, shop, or visit is essential. Whether you’re a public-facing high-street retailer, a factory with a growing workforce or your clients are visiting your offices in an industrial estate, there are many hazards you should be looking out for.
Slip and trip accidents increase during the Autumn and Winter season for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, leaves fall onto paths and become wet and slippery and cold weather spells cause ice and snow to build up on paths. There are effective actions that you can take to reduce the risk of a slip or trip. Regardless of the size of your site, always ensure that regularly used walkways are promptly tackled.
Carry out a risk assessment – Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, a risk assessment is a legal requirement that involves identifying sensible measures to control hazards if you’re an employer, your work activity is mentioned in the regulations, or your work poses a risk to others.
Identify hazards outside your business – These are mainly the result of wet and icy weather. Places where hazards could occur include Company car park and its adjoining road, Pavement or pathways etc
Identify hazards inside your business – These can mainly be the result of darker days and colder temperatures. Places where hazards could happen include the entrance areas of your business, dark warehouses, unlit corridors or stairwells for example.
Is there is enough lighting around your workplace for you and your workers to be able to see and avoid hazards that might be on the ground? The easiest way to find out is to ask your employees.
Fallen leaves that become wet or have started to decay can create slip risks in two ways, they hide any hazard that may be on the path or they themselves create a slip risk.
Put in place a procedure for removing leaves at regular intervals; you might even consider removing the offending bushes or trees altogether.
In dealing with rainwater:
The most common method used to de-ice floors is gritting as it is relatively cheap, quick to apply and easy to spread. Rock salt (plain and treated) is the most commonly used ‘grit’. It is the substance used on public roads by the highways authority.
Salt can stop ice forming and cause existing ice or snow to melt. It is most effective when it is ground down, but this will take far longer on pedestrian areas than on roads.
Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet and the floor temperatures are at, or below freezing. The best times are early in evening before the frost settles and/or early in the morning before employees arrive. Salt doesn’t work instantly; it needs sufficient time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.
If you grit when it is raining heavily the salt will be washed away, causing a problem if the rain then turns to snow. Compacted snow, which turns to ice, is difficult to treat effectively with grit. Be aware that ‘dawn frost’ can occur on dry surfaces, when early morning dew forms and freezes on impact with the cold surface. It can be difficult to predict when or where this condition will occur.
Contact us if you require further information.
