Organisations have revealed the important steps they have taken toward raising awareness of the threat of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in workplaces, six months on from signing a commitment to tackle the issue.
New guidance has been published, studies have been undertaken and presentations have been given to employers and employees around the world.
It comes after a 12-month plan of action was agreed in November 2016 to tackle the threat of RCS. Partners pledged to raise awareness of, and take preventative action against, work-related exposures to RCS, which is responsible for 800 lung cancer deaths a year in Britain alone. Simple controls can prevent deadly exposure to RCS, which is commonplace in industries that work with rocks, sand and clay, and products such as bricks and concrete. The commitment was part of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) ‘No Time to Lose’ campaign to tackle work-related cancer.
Partners are due to meet again in November this year to review what has been done. Ahead of that, some of them, including IOSH, have provided updates. Part of IOSH’s commitment was to increase awareness and understanding of the potential health risks of RCS by promoting its campaign and associated materials. It has worked with the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and UK Health and Safety Executive to deliver a presentation on how to tackle exposure to RCS, which has been showcased at 18 events so far. The campaign has also been showcased at 11 events outside of the UK.
Meanwhile, the Institution is well on the way to having 25,000 downloads of its silica pack by October 2017, with over 20,000 recorded currently.
Shelley Frost, Executive Director of Policy at IOSH, said: “It is encouraging that organisations which agreed the commitment are making progress.
“It is unacceptable that people are being exposed to the harmful effects of silica dust in workplaces. The organisations which agreed the commitment are helping to raise awareness of the issue and the simple measures that can be put in place to ensure that people can go to work without being exposed to the risks.”
