Paving, Road and Highways Supply Chain

I’ve been remiss in not mentioning the HSE Paving, Road and Highways Supply Chain Project earlier.  It was launched in October 2011, and is the successor to the Kerbcutting project.  It’s kept the same homepage at

http://webcommunities.hse.gov.uk/connect.ti/kerbcutting.community/view

Dust exposure from cutting bricks

The reason for the project is the high incidence of occupational ill health in the construction industry, with 4 times as many days lost to that as there are from accidents.  According to the Project leader, half of work-related cancer deaths are in construction, and the industry has a higher prevalence of limb disorders and spine/back disorders than any other.  Respiratory diseases are also significant, including a high proportion of the 500+ estimated UK lung cancer deaths per year caused by exposure to respiratory crystalline silica dust.  In addition, there are high levels of non-fatal conditions such as vibration white finger and noise induced hearing loss.  It’s no wonder that so many of the workforce have to leave the industry as they get older.

Manual handling of kerbstone

By focusing on paving and roads, rather than the whole of construction, they hope to keep the project a manageable size, and to produce noticeable results.

The issue is relevant to most large companies, not just construction, as these will occasionally have road and pavement maintenance carried out on their premises, and are in a good position to encourage, or even insist on, good practice being followed.

For example, the following measures should be used to prevent or control exposure to silica dust:

X-Ray of lungs with silicosis

• substitute silica-containing stone by other materials, e.g. plastic kerbstones
• where cutting is required, have stones cut to size before they are brought to site, where ventilation controls are more practical
• use water suppression

The Project is looking for volunteers for their 3 working groups, or at least they were.  The working groups are:

• Risk Matrix
• Health Surveillance and Monitoring
• Client & Designer

For details of how to apply, see their website.

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23 May 2012

Update: The  Terms of Reference and the Minutes of the 1st Meeting,  held on 19th March, are now available on the HSE’s Communities website.  One point that strikes me is that it’s a pity that there is no trade union representative on the working group, as communication with the people who are at risk is a key factor.