This Month is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Did you know that Lung Cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK and the most common cause of cancer death in the UK taking 35,000 lives a year?
It is estimated that occupational cancer is one of the leading causes of work-related deaths Worldwide and according to a study in the UK over 1 year, 5% of cancer deaths were attributed to occupational exposure.
Working on the above statistics, you could estimate that 1750 people die a year of occupational lung cancer, and this number is rising!
So, what do you need to know?
The HSE says that occupational cancer is caused by substances, or mixtures of substances, called ‘carcinogens’. Occupational cancer can be caused through prolonged exposure to carcinogens in the workplace.
Some of these common carcinogens are asbestos, wood dust and silica. You could be sanding down wood, concreting or knocking down walls, but your company should ensure the correct extraction or wetting processes and that you are provided with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and not exceeding the limits of exposure in your working day.
If you do work with carcinogens, it is worth knowing that some have workplace exposure limits, and a full list can be found in guidance note EH40 found on the HSE Website. Asbestos is considered so hazardous that it has its own regulations ‘The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012’.
What can we be doing in our workplace?
Well really, it isn’t as complicated as you might have thought! You need to produce a risk assessment and method statement for the work you are carrying out with these hazardous substances. Don’t forget you will need all the information about the substance such as Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), any work exposure limits, and the environment that it is in.
Follow, apply, and enforce the risk assessments and method statements and review these documents should something change such as a supplier change or the environment you are in.
Staff working with these materials must read and understand the risk assessments and method statements and sign to confirm. Train your staff and provide the correct equipment so that they can complete the work abiding by the risk assessment and method statement.
*Did you know that Asbestos Awareness training is only valid for 12 months?*
But don’t panic if this all seems daunting. That’s what the team at MBO are here for, Contact Us Now.
Sources of information:
Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November 2021) – SWAG Cancer Alliance
Occupational Cancer statistics in Great Britain, 2020 (hse.gov.uk)