HSE to target building site dust

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is poised to launch a health and safety inspections’ blitz next week, targeting how dust is being managed on construction sites.

The campaign of targeted health inspections will start from Monday 15 May and run through to Friday 14 July and will support its Dust Kills campaign.

It will focus on the respiratory risks to construction workers from exposure to silica and wood dust and will remind employers that they have a legal duty to control dust effectively and protect their workers’ lung health.

Inspectors will also work to raise awareness of health issues in relation to dust exposure and the importance of effective control measures to improve the long-term health of those working in construction, the HSE said.

Separately, the HSE has said it intends to carry out extra checks this summer on the safety of fairground and theme park rides, after a string of incidents.

In all, the executive will carry out 100 inspections of various rides, following incidents in London, Barrow, Cardiff, Hull and Barnsley. The safety campaign will run until September. It has also reminded fairground operators of its latest guidance on this issue.

HSE inspector David Kivlin said: “HSE recognises that recent incidents, including the prosecution of operators following a fatal incident in March 2016 involving inflatable devices, have raised public awareness of the potential for injury and harm to users of such devices when they are not set up, maintained and operated in-line with manufacturer guidance or good practice standards.

“HSE’s overall strategy is to promote the safe use of fairground rides and inflatable devices and in doing so reduce the risk of such catastrophic incidents to as low as is reasonably practicable,” he added.