Clean Air? - Take Care!
There are more than 5 million workers in Britain who are exposed to respiratory hazards in the workplace. Of these, approximately half wear respiratory protective equipment (RPE) but only half of these people wear equipment that is correctly selected and fitted. This means that only a quarter of those at risk may be adequately protected.
IOM's Research Director John Cherrie at launch of "Clean air? - Take Care!" Campaign
The “Clean air? - Take care!” campaign will increase awareness amongst managers and workers, highlight the problems that may occur when using RPE, and promote sensible solutions for respirator use in the workplace. Through a range of national activities and educational seminars, RPE users, employers and advisors will be targeted with simple information on the correct selection, deployment, use, maintenance and storage of RPE.
The campaign was launched in London on the 18th March 2010, with IOM represented by Dr John Cherrie, Research Director. John said, “This is a very important initiative to try to increase knowledge amongst employers and workers about the correct use of respiratory protection. There is an impressive array of resources available, both via the project information packs and the website (http://www.cleanairtakecare.org/).
Watch out for IOM's involvement in this initiative in the coming months. If you have any queries relating to respiratory protection then why not call one of our experts. Email CleanAirTakeCare@IOM-world.org to get an information pack and DVD.