Campaign to reduce the exposure limit for silica dust

The Hazards magazine is campaigning for the HSE to halve the maximum legal exposure limit for silica dust. The ‘Choked’ campaign, backed by Unite, says the WEL for respirable crystalline silica of 0.1 mg/m3 should be at least halved to 0.05 mg/m3, with a phased reduction to 0.025mg/m3. The UK legal limit is double that set in the United States and Australia and higher than limits in many European countries.

More than 600,000 workers in the UK are regularly exposed to silica at work, says Unite, and halving the limit could save 4,000 lives a year. Inhaling silica over a long period can cause the serious respiratory disease silicosis, as well as other potentially fatal diseases including lung cancer, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The dust is created when cutting, grinding, drilling or polishing natural substances such as rocks and sand, and is a major constituent in bricks, tiles and concrete and materials. Workers in industries including mining, quarrying, foundries, potteries, ceramics, glass manufacturing and construction are potentially exposed to silica dust. In sectors like stonemasonry and construction, up to half of workers are exposed at or above the current deadly limit, Unite says.

The Choked campaign calls on supporters to send e-postcards to the HSE demanding it saves thousands of lives by urgently introducing a safer silica standard.

The online postcard can be found at www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/silica.