Exposure of employees to Silica dust whilst drilling into concrete was not listed as one of the construction contractor’s safety controls. During a review by Safewell of the contractors site risk assessments it was noted that the risk of Silica dust is a known significant hazard in construction activities and is currently on HSE’s radar. Following this the construction contractor asked Safewell to help with a risk assessment of silica dust exposure to its workers.
Safewell Solution
Safewell helped the contractor to work out the frequency and amount of exposure to the operatives, using a risk based approach. From this Safewell gave advice on relevant safety and health controls including the correct type of face mask, face fit testing and face fit training for operatives. With the advice, the contractor was able to document their own risk assessment which specified the procedure that needed to be put in place to protect the employees and comply with the law. The contractor was all referred to Safewell’s occupational health team for lung function Health surveillance.
