Grain dust in non agricultural workplaces may affect your health

This leaflet tells you about possible health problems you could develop from exposure to grain dust in non-agricultural workplaces; what your employer and you need to do; and what precautions you should take to protect your health.

What is grain dust?

Grain dust is the dust produced during harvesting, drying, handling, storage or processing of cereal crops. These include barley, wheat, oats, maize and rye. The dust contains any contaminants or additives.

You may be exposed to grain dust at:

• flour mills;
• animal feed mills and food factories;
• maltings; and
• dock and grain terminals, particularly if you are a grain porter or conveyor gallery cleaner

How can it affect your health ?

Grain dust can cause asthma. Inhaled dust can trigger an allergic reaction in the respiratory system of some people and they become sensitised. If this happens, any subsequent exposure - even to very small amounts - may cause an asthma attack.

Early signs of sensitisation include:

• recurring soreness or watering of the eyes and nose;
• coughing and breathing difficulties; and
• recurring blocked or running nose.

Long-term serious chest complaints include:

• asthma;
• chronic bronchitis; and
• farmer's lung.

What should you do ?

• Keep away from grain dust.
• Follow the safe working procedures laid down by your employer.
• Use mechanical extraction and personal protective equipment (PPE) your employer provides (eg overalls and respirators).
• If you have to wear a respirator (face mask), check that:
  • it fits properly;
  • it is clean;
  • the filter is changed regularly.
• If it doesn't fit, isn't clean or the filter is old - tell you supervisor or employer. Your employer is responsible for controlling your exposure and making it as low as is reasonably practicable.
• Report defects in enclosures, extraction equipment or PPE to your employer.

What should your employer do ?

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) require your employer to assess the risks to your health and:

• prevent your exposure to grain dust or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control your exposure;
• maintain all controls so that they work properly;
• reduce your exposure to grain dust so far as is reasonably practicable and in any case below the workplace exposure limit (WEL) of 10mg.m-3 averaged over an 8-hour day;
• arrange any appropriate health checks; and
• inform, instruct and train all employees who may be exposed to grain dust about how to work with it safely.

What about health checks ?

If you are exposed, or liable to be exposed to grain dust, you should be under health surveillance. This should be arranged by your employer and may include:

• an initial assessment to include details of your past health, especially any breathing problems;
• lung function tests; and
• filling in a respiratory questionnaire.

Where required, you should attend any health checks arranged by your employer; and report any breathing problems to your employer/doctor as soon as they happen.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) require your employer to notify HSE of lung diseases associated with grain dust, ie occupational asthma and extrinsic alveolitis. Contact the Incident Contact Centre
Tel: 0845 300 9923
Fax: 0845 300 9924
e-mail: riddor@natbrit.com
Website: www.hse.gov.uk/riddor

What information can you get?

Your employer should let you and, if appropriate, your representatives know:

• the risks to health from the use of grain dust and any symptoms which suggest sensitisation;
• what precautions you should take and why;
• why you need to use personal protective equipment and clothing and the jobs where you need to use them;
• the results of any tests for grain dust levels in the air at your workplace;
• the role of health surveillance and the arrangements for you to know the results;
• any further requirements of the COSHH Regulations.

You should ask your employer if this information is not provided.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published two Guidance Notes:

• Grain dust Environmental Hygiene Guidance Note EH66 (Second edition) HSE Books 1998 ISBN 0 7176 1535 9
• Grain dust in maltings (maximum exposure limits) Environmental Hygiene Guidance Note EH67 HSE Books 1993 ISBN 0 11 886357 6

For those in the agricultural industry there is a free agriculture information sheet:

• Controlling grain dust on farms. Agriculture Information Sheet AIS3(rev) HSE Books 1996..

Further information

HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995 Website: http://books.hse.gov.uk (HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops and free leaflets can be downloaded from HSE’s website: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns.)

For information about health and safety ring HSE's Infoline Tel: 0845 345 0055 Fax: 0845 408 9566 Textphone: 0845 408 9577 e-mail: hse.infoline@connaught.plc.uk or write to HSE Information Services, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.

This document contains notes on good practice which are not compulsory but which you may find helpful in considering what you need to do.

This document is available web-only at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg140.htm.

© Crown copyright This publication may be freely reproduced, except for advertising, endorsement or commercial purposes. First published 6/93. Please acknowledge the source as HSE.

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Published by the Health and Safety Executive