Announced for World Asthma Day 2021, 4 May, health and safety inspectors will be targeting businesses working with welding and metalworking fluids to check they are complying with guidance.
During the visits, dutyholders will need to demonstrate they have measures in place to manage risks to protect their workers from occupational lung disease.
Exposure to welding fumes and metalworking fluids can cause a range of lung diseases. Photograph: iStock / maki shmaki
Last year in the UK, 12,000 people died from lung diseases estimated to be linked to past exposure at work.
Welding fume is classified as a category 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Exposure to welding fumes and metalworking fluids can cause a range of lung diseases, including occupational asthma and occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis (OHP), which are debilitating diseases with life changing impacts.
Have you got all the right safe systems of work in place?
Do your staff have the correct skills, knowledge, training and experience?
Are you supplying adequate PPE?
Get in touch if you need help with your documentation, training, PPE or if you simply want a site/premises audit.