HSE are involved in a number of projects that target occupations with the highest rates of occupational asthma, including:
The projects involve working in partnership with others to raise awareness of substances that cause occupational asthma and the controls needed to prevent them through good practice in the workplace.
The Your trade pages of this website provides top tips and advice on good practice.
Breathing in too much dust, fume or other airborne contaminants at work can cause diseases such as occupational asthma. The HSE’s Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) website complements HSE guidance on how to apply and use LEV to remove airborne contaminants from the workplace before people breathe them in.
Designers, examiners and installers of LEV will find this website useful as well as will employers and their employees who depend on LEV for the continued protection of their health at work.
Working in partnership with GORDS (Group of Occupational Respiratory Disease Specialists) this projects aims to:
On 6th June 2008 this partnership led to the development of an article entitled "Standards of Care for occupational asthma". This proposed an agreed standard for all healthcare professionals dealing with workers exposed to agents that potentially cause asthma. This document has been publicised at meetings of professional bodies, to encourage them to disseminate the guidance.
HSE works closely with external and internal partners to help deliver the reduction in occupational asthma, including the Trade Union Congress, the Confederation of British Industry and Asthma UK.
The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) supports HSE's mission to ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled. For more information view HSL’s website.
The Board develops and oversees partnership actions to reduce occupational asthma and asthma made worse by work. View a list of the Board Members.
The Occupational Asthma Special Interest Group is an informal network, of mainly health professionals, who have a common interest in occupational asthma. It was formed in December 2007 and has 45 members, mostly occupational physicians, occupational health nurses and chest physicians, but also occupational hygienists and safety practitioners. It is a virtual network that liaises by e-mail and through the Asthma Partnership Board web community and holds meetings if there are relevant topics of mutual interest.
The aims and objectives of the special interest group are to:
If you are a health or safety professional with an active interest in occupational asthma, please contact Paul Nicholson at pjnicholson@doctors.org.uk
