1. Health Risks in Construction
This tool box talk is for those workers who are exposed to respiratory hazards, ie hazardous substances that can be breathed in and that can affect your lungs, eg:
Dust
Chemicals
Asbestos
Silica
Toolbox Talk
Respiratory
Health Risks in Construction
This project has been delivered with support from the CITB Growth Fund, which aims to ensure that the construction industry has the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time and is equipped to meet the future skills demands of the industry.

2. Tasks where these hazards can be found
Cutting stone
Mixing concrete
Woodwork
Insulating
Demolishing
Welding
Grit blasting
Cutting MDF
Maintenance
Painting & removal of paint
Sweeping up
When are you at risk?
Well, when you are doing any job where you can breath anything in to your lungs, whether it is a dust, vapour or fume etc.
This could be, for example when you are:
Sanding
Drilling
Cutting
Mixing
Such as painters when removing paint, especially if it is from old buildings and may contain Lead.
Carpenters sawing or cutting, groundworkers cutting slabs, bricklayers mixing mortar or cutting bricks, floor layers working with solvents and so on.
Not to mention labourers cleaning up!

3. What are the health hazards?
Dust – breathed in or getting in to eyes
Vibration
Noise
Skin – when refuelling & COSHH procedures
Manual Handling
What health hazards could be present from this?

4. Risks Chronic asthma Chest infections
Irreversible Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Cancer
Silicosis
Asbestosis
So what are the risks? Why do you need to worry about what you breath in?
Well, it can lead to problems such as chronic asthma, chest infections, coughing fits, pain and discomfort.
The symptoms are a bit like having a cold, eg bouts of coughing or wheezing, shortness of breath, tight chest and difficulty breathing, runny or stuffy nose, frequent sneezing, watery or itchy eyes and a tickly throat
You may find that:
These symptoms happen more and more regularly
You become far more sensitive to other factors, which have rarely caused you a problem before, eg animal fur, smoking, and pollution
In some cases the initial signs may develop into a full blown asthma attack
These risks are very serious and could include cancer, asbestosis, silicosis and other associated lung disease.
You can see the damage to lungs caused by brick dust in this picture!

5. Dust and Chemicals Asthma: the symptoms are:
Shortness of breath
Wheezing and
A tight feeling in the chest, often worse at night.
COPD : (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Symptoms include:
Cough
Phlegm Shortness of breath
So lets look closer at the risks of breathing in dust and chemicals, such as:
Asthma
Shortness of breath
Wheezing, and
A tight feeling in the chest
can all be signs of asthma
COPD
Is a chronic lung disease which means the breathing problems are persistent and unrelieved, and may include:
Severe shortness of breath
A continual cough with phlegm

6. Why worry? Breathing difficulties can stop you from being able to work
Breathing difficulties can stop you from living a normal life outside work
The reason that you need to worry about your breathing is that, if you can't breath properly it may mean that you are unable to work.
If you can’t work, your not earning, which may mean that you can’t pay:
The rent
Mortgage
Go on holiday and so on
The same goes for all of the topics covered in the tool box talks. If you can’t work it affects your income but can also have a knock on effect to other aspects of your life, such as playing sport, play with children or grandchildren, even going to the pub.
Don’t forget that the effects may not be immediate, so you also need to consider the future and what you can do to protect yourselves.

7. Prevention What can you do to avoid problems?
Know what you’re working with
health & safety data sheet
method statement e.g. for controlling dust
There are lots of things which can be done to reduce the problems
Firstly , you know all those pieces of paper you are given saying Method Statement, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety data and so on, make sure that you read them! They contain a lot of very useful information, which helps you to carry out your job safely and keep you healthy
If you find that you don’t understand the information or feel that you can't work to the method statement provided, don’t just chuck them into the back of the van or throw them away. Go back to whoever has written it to get further information or work with them to ensure that it is written in a way which means the you are able to carry out the work in the best way, protecting yourself as well as your boss
Another thing is that if you spot some thing which you don’t think is right talk to someone! We are very good at just getting on with the job without thinking about how what we are doing effects others, so if you are doing a job, which may effect someone else then talk to them. Speak to your supervisors about anything you are unsure of
Try to keep the workplace and equipment, as well as your mask and clothing, as clean as possible from dust and other contaminants
If you smoke give up if possible, as smoking can make symptoms even worse

8. Prevention What about RPE? Make sure it fits Have a face fit test
Make sure it is appropriate for task
Keep it clean and in good working order
Make sure you use and wear it as you have been trained to
If you or your employer has done everything possible to reduce hazard exposure, then you need to think about using personal respiratory protective equipment, RPE, to prevent yourself from breathing in dust, so face masks etc should be provided.
Ensure that the RPE fits properly
If it’s a disposable face mask, use a new one each day
Where necessary ensure that you replace the filter on face masks at regular Intervals as stated in the instructions and check prior to use
If the filter appears discoloured, maybe brown or red, replace it with a new one
Keep it clean
You should check you’ve got the right RPE and that it’s working properly. That’s where the Risk assessments, Method statements and COSHH data sheets come in, as they will give you information on the type of mask needed
Make sure that you have been trained to use your mask correctly

9. Asbestos Every week 20 tradesmen die from asbestos related diseases
There is no safe level of exposure
Fibres that are so small you cannot see them, but you can breathe them in
Exposure now? Symptoms usually begin to appear years after initial exposure
Damage caused by Asbestos fibres
So Asbestos…
Did you know that over a thousand people in Great Britain die each year from mesothelioma and asbestos related lung cancer as a result of past exposure to asbestos, many of those are construction workers
Asbestos is ok if it is left alone, The problems arise when it is knocked about, cut into or drilled or if it is in a poor condition
There is no safe exposure level and you can’t see the fibres with your naked eye but they can be breathed in without you even knowing
But from this picture you can see the damage it does!

10. Risks Pleural plaques Asbestosis Mesothelioma
Asbestos related lung cancer
The main risks of asbestos exposure are
Asbestosis - A disabling and ultimately fatal scarring of the lungs
Lung Cancer - Exposure to Asbestos will increase your risk of lung cancer
Mesothelioma - A rapidly fatal and painful cancer which can be linked to short term exposure to Asbestos and pleural plaques

11. Prevention Where can asbestos be found?
Mainly in maintenance or refurbishment of older buildings (up to1980’s)
What should you do if you find it?
Leave it alone
Stop work
Stop others from working in area
Get it checked out
Asbestos is mainly found when carrying out maintenance and refurbishment works
Plumbers, carpenters and electricians tend to be at higher risk of exposure due to the nature of their work
However Asbestos can be found in a large number of places, most of us will recognise the asbestos cement sheet roofing, but it can be found in a number of other places including:
Around pipes
In walls and cavities
Buried in the ground
If you find something that you think may be asbestos, leave it alone
Stop work in that area, stop others from working near it and get it checked out
If you are not trained to work with it don’t!

12. Silica
‘Respirable Crystaline Silica’ (RCS) is silica that can be breathed in
Where can Silica be found?
stone masonry
façade renovation
blast cleaning of buildings, especially using sand
many demolition processes
concrete scabbling, cutting or drilling
tunnelling
‘Respirable Crystaline Silica’ (RCS) is silica that can be breathed in
Exposure can result from:
stone masonry
façade renovation
blast cleaning of buildings, especially using sand
many demolition processes
concrete scabbling, cutting or drilling
tunnelling

13. Risks Silicosis Tuberculosis Lung cancer There are over 500 deaths
recorded per year due to
cancer from silica exposure
Silica exposure can cause serious lung disease, including:
Silicosis
Tuberculosis, and
Lung cancer
Are you aware that exposure to silica results in over 500 deaths per year!
We must not let that number increase

14. Prevention
Eliminate silica dust from your work i.e. substitute it using non-silica grits for blasting
Design out the need for scabbling, cutting or drilling concrete
Control exposure
Use respiratory protective equipment (RPE)
To prevent the risks from silica you should firstly try to get rid of silica dust from your work, maybe by substituting it using non-silica grits for blasting
See if you can design out the need for scabbling, cutting or drilling concrete?
If not then control respirable silica exposure by using dust suppression techniques or local exhaust ventilation
Wet drilling, use of appropriate ventilation and other dust-control facilities can minimise exposure
Use the showers to clean the dust off you and don’t forget to wear your respiratory protective equipment (RPE)

15. General Warning signs Do not ignore a long term persistent cough
Shortness of breath
Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
Loss of appetite
Chest pain or ache
Unexplained tiredness
Plain and/or swelling in abdomen
All will be aggravated by smoking
Seek medical support
Silicosis is directly caused by inhaling silica dust
The symptoms include:
A cough, with or without sputum
Shortness of breath, particularly on exercise
Chest tightness
Smoking not only aggravates the symptoms of silicosis but also speeds up the progress of the disease!
Again, if you have any worries about your health or any of the symptoms discussed you should visit your GP

16. ANY QUESTIONS? www.cbhscheme.com
If you have any questions then speak to your Manager, you can also phone CBH on for impartial confidential advice
If you have any symptoms please do make an appointment to see your GP
Thank you for listening