AIR POLLUTION - 30.03.2020

The threat of ambient air pollution

Ambient air pollution is increasingly posing a threat to health and is a major priority for the government. Who is likely to be affected by this the most and how can you manage the associated risks effectively?

Government priority

The government is on a mission regarding air quality. Air pollution dominates much of the Environment Bill for good reason; the impacts of poor air can be directly felt by our healthcare system, as the number of people suffering with respiratory problems continues to grow.

There is a concern about outdoor workers exposed to air pollution. This is something the British Safety Council (BSC) has highlighted as part of its Time to Breathe campaign. It wants air pollution to be considered as an occupational health hazard with better protection for outdoor workers.

What is air pollution?

The pollutants that affect our health the most are particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), largely from vehicle engines. PM is classified according to its size, with PM10 (particles that are less than or equal to 10 microns (µ) in diameter, where 1µ = 0.001mm), and PM2.5 (particles that are less than or equal to 2.5µ in diameter) the most commonly used.

There is already regulation in place to control PM pollution. The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 set limits for NO2 , PM10 and PM2.5, as well as sulphur dioxide, PAH and ozone. In October 2019 the government published figures to suggest that 83% of the air-pollution reporting zones across the UK had illegal levels of air pollution.

What can you do?

If you employ people to work outside, on busy roads or close to machinery that uses a combustion engine, they could suffer from ambient air pollution. Outdoor air pollution can lead to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and impaired lung function, lung cancer, heart attacks and even stroke.

Tip 1. It makes sense to carry out an assessment to establish whether your staff are exposed to harm from this air pollution and, if so, whether protective measures could be applied to reduce and control it. Defra’s Air Information Resource website is a good place to start. It has an air pollution forecast map which is updated daily (see The next step ).

Tip 2. Just how bad the exposure to air pollution is will depend on road use density, the time of day, the weather and the nature of the tasks being carried out. You can reduce exposure by shifting work patterns so that people aren’t on busy roads all day long, or making sure people have lunch indoors. As a last resort, you might want to provide respiratory face-mask protection equipment.

Note. The British Safety Council (BSC) has developed an app, called Canairy, which helps you minimise the risks posed by ambient air pollution (see The next step ). It only works within the M25, but it’s a useful tool for logging a person’s exposure against the set World Health Organisation limits for the major noxious gases, including NO2 , ozone, PM10 and PM2.5. It notifies the user if their exposure exceeds the recommended limits and gives advice on reducing exposure and risk.

For links to Defra’s website and to the BSC Canairy app, visit http://tipsandadvice-environment.co.uk/download (EN 14.10.06).

Outside workers face the greatest risk. Although the government is looking to take steps to reduce air pollution through the Environment Bill, if your staff work outside you may need to take reasonable steps to reduce exposure. Options to consider include altering work patterns to avoid peak pollution times.

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