HSE Inspectors will be visiting Woodworking Businesses across Great Britain

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Inspectors will be visiting Woodworking Businesses across Great Britain

HSE are currently inspecting woodworking businesses to ensure duty holders know the established health risks associated with woodworking, including wood dust, and have effective controls in place to keep workers safe and protect their respiratory health.

The woodworking industry will be targeted as part of a year-long inspection programme across Great Britain.

Each year, around 12,000 people die from work-related lung diseases linked to past exposure to hazardous substances at work.

This includes inhalation of wood-dust that can cause occupational asthma and, in the case of hardwoods, sinonasal cancer. These deaths are preventable if exposure to the risks is effectively controlled.

Inspectors will check that woodwork is planned correctly to minimise risk; and that adequate control measures are in place to protect workers’ health.

Through the inspections of a variety of woodworking businesses, the HSE are highlighting the risks of occupational asthma and the devastating impact lung disease has on workers’ lives.

Be ready for an inspection, you can do this by reviewing the HSE refreshed woodworking guidance and tools to manage the risks to your workers.

To ensure your business is managing the risks and is prepared for an inspection, the HSE have detailed below where further information and guidance is available.

These pages provide tools to help businesses ensure they Work Right and have the necessary measures in place to keep workers safe and protect their long-term respiratory health: