The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is encouraging manufacturers to have, or put in place, effective health surveillance to reduce the risks caused by working with metalworking fluids.
The executive will be carrying out targeted inspections between now and March 2024 on manufacturing firms that use metalworking fluids or ‘white water’ in their machining processes.
Exposure to metalworking fluids can cause harm to lungs and skin, HSE has highlighted, and therefore regular health surveillance – something normally provided or led by occupational health – alongside inspection is important to detect any symptoms of ill health caused by work as early as possible.
Not providing regular health surveillance is one of the most common reasons why manufacturing companies fail to demonstrate compliance, particularly smaller companies, the executive has warned.
HSE has therefore reminded firms that, where there is exposure to fluid or mist, they have a legal requirement to carry out health surveillance even when preventative controls, such as fluid quality checks and local exhaust ventilation (LEV), are in place.
For those who work with metalworking fluids, exposure through mist inhalation or direct contact can cause lung diseases and irritated skin (dermatitis), it has added.
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The HSE’s most recent statistics (for 2022-2023) have shown that an estimated 12,000 people died from lung diseases linked to exposure to hazardous substances at work. An estimated 19,000 new cases of breathing and lung problems are thought to be caused or made worse by work.
Moreover, manufacturing has a substantially higher rate than average for occupational asthma. Metalworking machine operatives, too, have much higher dermatitis rates than many of the major groupings of occupations, it has said.
One key way to mitigate risk in this context is through LEV, HSE has highlighted. LEV should be fitted to CNC (or computer controlled) machinery where operators are exposed to metalworking fluid mist, it has recommended.
The second key risk mitigator is maintaining fluid quality. As the HSE has said: “Water-mix metalworking fluid deteriorates over time and can become contaminated with harmful bacteria and other contaminants. Monitoring and maintaining fluid quality is key to controlling risk.”
The executive has also signposted employers to its wider online campaign tools and resources.
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