News
Health and Safety Update (June 2009)
HSE Issues Asthma Warning to Bakery Workers
HSE has warned that thousands of bakery workers in Britain could
be at risk of developing occupational asthma unless they take
sensible precautions.
According to their figures, approximately 27,000 of the 100,000
workers in baking industry in Britain regularly work with flour as
an ingredient. Workers who are exposed to flour and other bakery
dusts can develop asthma unless steps are taken to prevent it. The
statistics suggest that bakers are around 80 times more likely to
develop asthma than the average British worker.
Asthma is a debilitating respiratory condition. Wheezing,
shortness of breath and painful coughing are just some of the
symptoms sufferered.
HSE is sending out pocket cards to bakeries. These cards contain
advice for workers on the steps that they can take to protect their
health. They also highlight examples of good working practice.
The advice includes:
- Keep flour and bakery dust to a minimum. Good
housekeeping will be a key factor in achieving this
- Care when handling flour and powdered products. Dropping
flour from height or throwing it, for example, will generate dust
clouds
- Use sprinklers to spread dusting flour rather than throwing it
by hand
- Clean up spillages immediately. When cleaning up, do not
use airlines or brushes to sweep dry dust, use high efficiency
industrial vacuum cleaners instead. Large quantities of flour
or dust should be shovelled up gently
- Avoid creating dust when loading ingredients into mixers
- Mixers should be started up on slow speed until the wet and dry
ingredients have combined.
The bakers information card is available at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg429.pdf