Construction Industry Briefing: Issue 3 (May 07)
The following topics are covered in this issue: health statistics, asbestos, legislation,risk assessments and SCF Manifesto.
The 'Work-related injuries and ill health in construction' page on the HSE web site has been updated. The article states that 'Musculoskeletal conditions, asbestos related diseases and the effects of noise and vibration exposure are the dominant work-related health conditions in construction':
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/construction.htm
The HSE has published a research report entitled 'Taking risks with asbestos: what influences the behaviour of maintenance workers' (RR558). This presents the findings of a qualitative research project, which involved face-to-face interviews with sixty individuals working in construction and/or maintenance work. The group of workers most at risk from contracting asbestos related disease (ARD) now include those who work, as electricians, plumbers, carpenters etc, on buildings built or refurbished between the 1950s and 1970s. The full report is available on the HSE web site:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr558.htm
Patricia Sullivan of NIOSH has written an article published in the 'Environmental Health Perspectives' journal entitled 'Vermiculite, respiratory disease, and asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana: update of a cohort study'. This paper describes asbestos-related respiratory disease mortality amongst employees working with vermiculite in a mine near Libby. Sullivan concludes that “The observed dose-related increases in asbestosis and lung cancer mortality highlight the need for better understanding and control of exposures that may occur when homeowners or construction workers…disturb loose-fill insulation made with asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from Libby, Montana.” The article is available at:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1852671
Two new books have been published by CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association) on the 2007 CDM Regulations:
'CDM2007' - construction work sector guidance for designers: taking account of CDM2007 and its ACoP L144 (2007)' prepared by Ove Arup and Partners; updated by Alan Gilbertson (3rd ed.):
and
'CDM2007 - workplace 'in-use' guidance for designers' by A Gilbertson
There is a report entitled 'Place of work and working conditions - Belgium' on the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions web site. The report looks at the effect of working most of the time at places other than the company's premises on working conditions in four types of occupation including construction workers. The construction industry is the sector with the highest safety risks in Belgium. The report is available below:
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/
The Scottish Construction Forum (SCF) has published a manifesto advocating a change in the way the industry deals with the issues of training and health and safety. There are six key areas of the manifesto:
- Building a more professional reputation for the industry
- Simplifying the way public sector contracts are awarded
- Improving health and safety
- Making training more relevant
- Improving the industry's green credentials
The manifesto is available from the link below:
http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/publications/
If you would like us to feature any specific construction occupational health issue then let us know.
CONSTRUCTION BRIEFINGS ARCHIVE
Construction Briefing (March 2007)
Construction Briefing (April 2007)