ASBESTOS & HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES


CROSSRAIL STEAM AHEAD WITH WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY


We catch up with Crossrail’s Health and Safety Specialist Christine Butterworth to find out how they protect workers from exposure to harmful substances.


Figures released by The Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, BOHS, as part of their Breathe Freely campaign, show that across all industries 7000 deaths a year are caused by occupational cancers of the respiratory system, with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease causing a minimum of 4000 deaths each year.


BOHS have also released figures that show the UK construction industry has the largest number of reported cases of occupational lung disease of any sector, with 3500 occupational cancer deaths caused by exposures in this sector. Construction is also among the top five sectors for deaths from COPD.


BOHS are urging employers to act now to protect their workforce from the harmful substances they are exposed to on a day-to-day basis, including isocyanates, solder and colophony fume, stainless steel welding fumes and wood dusts.


BOHS are not alone in their fight to reduce work-related diseases and deaths. IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign focuses on the need to protect workers from work-related cancers and is encouraging all industries to work together to beat occupational cancer.


IOSH cite ground-breaking research conducted in 2012 by Dr Lesley Rushton of Imperial College, London linking a range of different cancer deaths to occupations, illustrating clearly that an individual’s jobs can have a significant impact on their health, both at the time and in later life.


28


The research quotes the amount of deaths caused by asbestos (3909), respirable crystalline silica (789), deaths from diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEE) (652 ), mineral oils (563), painting and decorating products and activities (334), tobacco smoke (249), tetrachlorobenzodioxin (231), radon (184) and welding fumes (152).


“CROSSRAIL HAS BEEN SET UP TO BUILD THE NEW RAILWAY THAT


WILL BECOME KNOWN AS THE ELIZABETH


LINE WHEN IT OPENS THROUGH CENTRAL LONDON IN 2018.”


Tomorrow’s Health & Safety caught up with Crossrail’s Christina Butterworth, Health and Safety Specialist – Occupational Health and Wellbeing to find out more about their occupational wellbeing policy.


So tell us a bit about the Crossrail project and your


job role. Crossrail has been set up to build the new railway that will become known as the Elizabeth line when it opens through central London in 2018. We are making a step change in public


transport by building a new railway for London with new train stations, quicker journey times and more travel options.


As the Health and Safety Specialist I set strategy and standards for the organisation and provide assurance to the leadership team that we are operating to good practice. Part of that is influencing our principal contractors that are under a contract of work for us.


The number one priority for us is to ensure people are safe whilst they are at work and we are committed to delivering the project to the highest standards of safety, whilst protecting the overall health of our frontline staff so they are fit for work, and fit for life as well. We tend to be fairly leading edge within the construction industry when looking at both safety and health.


What are the key risks you


encounter? Our key risks are respirable crystalline silica and diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEE), both of which have been classified by the international agency for research on cancer as being carcinogens, so they are a top priority for us.


How do you work to manage


these risks? We use silica-based cement for creating our tunnels and lining them, we also use spray concrete lining and other silica-based products such as concrete panels, flooring and walls on a daily basis. When using this concrete


www.tomorrowshs.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56