When we think about who health and safety regulations are designed to protect, we naturally think about frontline workers: people who operate in environments where risks are present. But of course, depending on the nature and location of the work, it’s not just workers who might find themselves exposed to risk.
When it comes to dust, in particular, it’s not unusual for the general public to be exposed to this source of workplace risk. Saws, cutters, grinders, sweeping, and other activities - as well as stone, natural materials and various other sources - can generate substantial amounts of dust, and it’s almost impossible to control where all of it ends up, even with dust suppression or extraction systems in place. The impact of dust on workers is well-documented: each year in the UK, about 12,000 people die from diseases linked to past exposure to dust at work. The harm caused by exposure to dust ranges from skin irritation to cancer, and it’s difficult to determine what dust - or how much - will cause which problems for any specific person.
The impact of dust on the general population has also been evaluated. Construction dust is known to affect the health of the surrounding environment and population, posing “severe health risks” to human beings. But recent studies have found that the systems currently in place to monitor and manage the impact of construction dust in urban environments, in particular, are insufficient. In fact, in the UK, “two-thirds of Londoners say they have been impacted by dust or light pollution from a construction site over the past year.” Recent research shows 10% of Londoners are impacted by construction dust on a weekly basis. That’s nearly 1 million people every single week interacting with potentially dangerous dust.
But since dust is notoriously difficult to contain, and because exposure and impact vary greatly from person to person, it can be challenging to effectively monitor and manage the risk from exposure to dust. Even with careful planning and preparation, and dust suppression and extraction, workers and the general public may still not be adequately protected against the dangers of construction dust. Below, we’ll discuss what’s actually required to effectively address this tricky issue, and explore how purpose-built solutions for dust monitoring and management can help keep workers - and the public at large - better protected against potentially harmful construction dust.
Dust presents a unique challenge that traditional approaches to risk management simply cannot address
The reality is that employers who take steps to protect their workers from potentially dangerous dust might still not be doing enough. Dust is unique: unlike noise or vibration, which both cease to exist when the activity that caused the risk is ended (i.e., when noisy or vibrating equipment is turned off), dust lingers in the air - sometimes for up to 20 days even after the activity which causes the dust has stopped. Dust is also unique in the way that it affects people’s health. Dust can cause a number of diseases and conditions - some, like skin irritation, are uncomfortable, while others, like silicosis, can be deadly. And there’s no reliable way to know whether and to what extent dust will impact any given person. Finally, dust does harm over time, and the effects are often felt years after exposure takes place. Once again, these unique attributes of dust present a set of equally challenging issues when it comes to effective risk management.
That’s why it’s so critical for employers to take meaningful steps that actually move the needle when it comes to controlling dust at work, keeping workers safe, and ensuring that surrounding areas and populations are as protected as possible.
Currently, teams primarily rely upon third party risk assessments to keep their workers safe with regards to dust. Broadly speaking, the use of PPE, as well as dust suppression and extraction are the traditional methods for protecting workers on the front lines. But choosing the PPE, and utilising suppressors and extractors in the right way, isn’t always straightforward. In fact, it’s possible to actually make matters worse by using the wrong kind of water for dust suppression. And despite good intentions, ill-fitting masks, poor ventilation, or using an incorrect respirator can all result in workers remaining vulnerable to risk from dangerous dust, even where precautions have been taken.
And of course, even where workers are wearing the correct PPE, and using the right kind of suppression or extraction system, two key points still remain: these methods don’t provide you with any actual information about your workers’ exposure or your workplace risk environment, and the general population might still be vulnerable to dust that remains in the air long after construction activities have ceased.
Personalised dust monitoring technology: drive change that benefits workers and bystanders
Personalised dust monitoring is the only way to gain access to the information you need to understand your workplace risk environment with regards to dust. Armed with accurate, reliable insight about your workers’ exposure, you can take decisive action that better protects them, and reduces the risk that construction dust poses to bystanders and members of the public.
Trolex are pioneers in safety technology. The Trolex XD1+ is designed to be the lightest weight, most practical personal dust monitoring technology on the market. With no filters, pumps, tubes, or replaceable parts, the XD1+ is incredibly compact and easy to use. Workers only need to switch it on and secure it in place, and they’re ready to get to work. Crucially, workers can pair their XD1+ with their R-Link watch to view their own dust exposure levels right on their watch face. This enables incredibly fast decision-making, enabling workers to respond more immediately to real-time exposure data.
Plus, individual workers’ exposure data is stored and analysed in Reactec’s ultra-secure, powerful Analytics platform where it’s transformed into actionable intelligence that drives better, more informed decision-making. With this unprecedented level of insight, teams can easily identify patterns, trends, and hotspots, and respond by adjusting their ways of working, or by improving controls.
By natural extension, making your worksite safer stands to improve health and safety outcomes for anyone who might be nearby. When you’re able to more thoroughly understand whether your approach to risk management is effective, you can take steps to create a safer environment for workers and bystanders, alike. For example: you might use suppressors, filters, and extractors, but a personalised dust monitor might very well reveal that certain workers are still being exposed to potentially harmful levels of dust. As a result of this discovery, you could implement new and improved controls that not only benefit your workers, but also anyone in the surrounding area.
Dust is a uniquely challenging workplace risk to address, particularly because it can impact people outside of your immediate environment. But with the right tools and technology in place, you can take a much more effective approach to risk management in this area.
To learn more about dust-related industrial diseases, you can visit this webpage.
And to learn more about preventing harm caused by dust work with the Trolex XD1+, you can visit this page.
