What HSE is doing for occupational asthma

Projects for the year ahead

HSE are involved in a number of projects that target occupations with the highest rates of occupational asthma, including:

• Bakers
• Vehicle spray painters
• Solderers, e.g. in electronics
• Woodworkers
• Engineering workers exposed to metal working fluids

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.

LEV Project

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.

Interventions in Primary Care

Working in partnership with GORDS (Group of Occupational Respiratory Disease Specialists) this projects aims to:

• Improve knowledge and awareness of occupational asthma particularly amongst health care professionals particularly those in primary care, and

• Improve and standardise the diagnosis and management of occupational asthma in GB

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.

Partnerships

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 Asthma Partnership Board (formerly Asthma Project Board)

The Board develops and oversees partnership actions to reduce occupational asthma and asthma made worse by work. View a list of the Board Members. For more information on the Board and its activities please email the secretariat for the Board: marie.warburton@hse.gsi.gov.uk

• The Asthma Partnership Board web community

Occupational Asthma Special Interest Group

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.  By January 2009 it had 45 members, mostly occupational physicians, occupational health nurses and chest physicians, but also occupational hygienists and safety practitioners. 

The aims and objectives of the special interest group are to:

• help members prevent occupational asthma and manage cases better
• share practice within and between sectors for re-application of best practice
• identify common issues and ways to find solutions
• help guide the work of the HSE Asthma Partnership Board
• help identify areas where practically focussed research is still needed to help us in our practice

If you are a health or safety professional with an active interest in occupational asthma, please contact Paul Nicholson at pjnicholson@doctors.org.uk