RR1184 - Evaluation of exposure controls used in electrolytic nickel plating
Previous HSE research1 estimated that there are approximately 3000 workers employed at around 450 companies in the Great Britain (GB) surface treatment industry who are potentially exposed to a range of carcinogens, asthmagens and skin sensitisers including nickel (Ni) compounds. Many of these workers are employed in small to medium sized enterprises. The work showed that exposure occurs by inhalation, absorption through the skin, by ingestion or any combination of these three routes.
There are a range of measures that can be used to reduce airborne emissions from electroplating tanks and these are also likely to affect the dermal and ingestion exposure potential. These measures vary in efficacy, cost, complexity, and ease of use. There is no clear guidance for the industry on the most appropriate and cost effective techniques. One of the main recommendations of the previous research was that “A systematic evaluation of these (control) measures should be carried out to allow the provision of evidence based guidance aimed at reducing exposures to carcinogens and asthmagens in the electroplating industry.”
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
The Research Report Series are produced in Adobe Acrobat. The use of the latest version of the software is recommended which is available at the Adobe website via the link on this page.
Assistance in the use of Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our FAQs page.