Asthma Code of Practice and guidance

Successful campaigning by unions resulted in the HSE publishing an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) on the control of occupational asthma. It is published as an appendix to the COSHH ACoP and guidance (L5).

The risk assessment procedure in Regulation 6 of COSHH 2002 (see Chapter 3) also applies to occupational asthma. Employers must protect the health of employees who have developed occupational asthma.

The asthma ACoP says employers should review risk assessments regularly, and that there should be an immediate review whenever a case of occupational asthma is confirmed. Cases of occupational asthma notified by a doctor in writing must be reported to the enforcing authority under RIDDOR 2013 (see Chapter 10: Recording and reporting accidents).

The asthma ACoP says that exposure to substances with the potential to cause occupational asthma should be prevented. If prevention is not reasonably practicable, the employer should control exposure.

All employees exposed, or liable to be exposed, to a substance that may cause occupational asthma should be under suitable health surveillance. Employees should be provided with suitable and sufficient information about asthma and receive proper training.