HSE inspections to ensure employee safety
The Health and Safety Executive has warned employers it will be carrying out inspections to ensure they are protecting their workers’ health by controlling the risks from welding fume.
The HSE’s current programme of inspections will review health and safety standards across the country.
Employers must ensure they have adequate controls in place to avoid or reduce exposure to welding fume. They should be using local exhaust ventilation where effective and provide suitable respiratory protective equipment where necessary to protect workers in the metal fabrication industry from inhaling fumes.
The inspections follow a safety alert that was issued in February 2019 after new evidence showed exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause cancer and HSE updated guidance to reflect this.
John Rowe, head of manufacturing at HSE said: “Employers and workers should know the risk, plan their work and use the right controls when welding activity is carried out. If they are not HSE will use enforcement to bring about improvements. It is our mission that all workers are protected and are not made ill or killed by their work. Everyone should be able to leave work and go home healthy and safe.”
