The latest inspection drive from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is focusing on the health and safety risks posed by exposure to flour dust in bakeries.
Britain’s health and safety watchdog is conducting a series of inspections at large bakeries across the country to check that they are properly protecting their workers from exposure to dust, including flour dust.
Britain’s health and safety watchdog is setting its focus on bakeries because some of the dusty ingredients they regularly use can lead to workers developing occupational asthma, which is a serious and potentially life-changing condition.
Exposure to flour dust can trigger asthma
Perhaps surprisingly to some, exposure to flour dust is actually one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain today.
Other dusty ingredients, such as bread improver enzymes, can also cause respiratory sensitisation for workers. This is because dust can cause the airways to become hypersensitive and, once a worker becomes sensitized, even small amounts of dust can trigger asthma symptoms.
For many workers, once these symptoms are triggered, they are irreversible.
The HSE says that dust generated from flour and other common ingredients in bakeries can linger in the atmosphere if not properly controlled, posing a risk to workers. In addition, many common tasks in bakeries are high-risk, including practices like dusting flour on surfaces during dough handling, tipping and dispensing dry ingredients and cleaning up flour spills.
Employers must control the risks from flour dust
To ensure their workers are properly protected, employers must follow the hierarchy of controls set out under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations.
HSE inspectors will visit bakeries to assess their compliance with these regulations and will also focus on whether employers have correctly considered their measures for managing risk in order of effectiveness. This would be:
- Eliminating dusty processes – this could include using non-stick belts instead of dusting flour as a lubricant
- Substituting dusty ingredients with alternatives – such as using low-dust flour or liquid/gel-based ingredients
- Engineering controls like local exhaust ventilation
- Respiratory protective equipment as a last resort
Employers also need to carry out health surveillance on workers exposed to dusty ingredients.
If HSE inspectors find that any businesses are breaching the COSHH Regulations they can issue improvement notices, prohibition notices or even prosecution, which can lead to unlimited fines.
Bakers suffer ‘unnecessary exposure’ to hazardous ingredients
The HSE’s Deputy Director of Engagement and Policy, Mike Calcutt, said that bakery workers too often suffer from “unnecessary exposure” to hazardous, dusty ingredients like flour.
He added:
“When employers prevent exposure, the risk of asthma is removed. That’s the key principle we want bakeries to apply.
“It may be possible to reduce the risk with ventilation or protective equipment, but these controls should not be selected where elimination and substitution would be effective. I urge employers to carefully consider dusty processes, eliminating risk and substituting to prevent exposure by weighing the long-term benefits in sustaining prevention against the true cost of ill-health and using controls lower in the hierarchy.”
The health and safety watchdog highlighted a specific case study where a large bakery significantly reduced the risk to workers by transforming its approach.
The company trialled low-dust flours and dust suppressants and found these dramatically reduced dust exposure. They focused on eliminating and substituting flour in the first instance, and this meant they needed to implement fewer mechanical controls and could reduce the time and cost needed to extract dust from the atmosphere.
Bakeries can access industry-specific guidance on flour dust control
The HSE says that low-dust flour is an established standard in the industry and that employers can review the Federation of Bakers’ Blue Book, which provides industry-specific guidance on dust control and health surveillance.
In addition, the HSE also provides clear advice and guidance on controlling flour dust in bakeries.
It’s now up to bakeries across the country to ensure their health and safety control measures meet the required standards and protect workers, as HSE inspectors get set to drop in and check their practices.
Training in COSHH and other safety standards
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.
They deliver over 6,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.
Their diverse portfolio includes training awards in Handling Hazardous Substances (COSHH) and Managing and Supervising Risk.
A trainer from FRT explains:
“Exposure to harmful substances at work can have long lasting consequences, including the development of serious illnesses such as occupational asthma.
“It’s vitally important that all relevant businesses are aware of the risks of occupational asthma and other diseases and of the appropriate safety measures they must take to minimise the risks of exposure and protect themselves, their employees, colleagues, clients and members of the public from harm.”
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.