Lung Disease and Work

The Lane Lecture is an annual event hosted by the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Manchester. Named in honour of Ronald Lane, the first ever Professor of Occupational Health at the University. This year the lecture was delivered by Professor David Fishwick, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Director of the Centre

Silica exposure in the construction industry

One of the most important health risks encountered by construction workers is exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust. Crystalline silica, mainly in the form of quartz, is the main component of most rocks, sands and clays. In the construction industry it can be found in  stone, concrete, aggregates, mortars and other materials. Respirable particles (smaller

Health and Construction

On Monday this week a worker on a construction site in central London, a former US naval building in Grosvenor Square, died after the building he was working on partially collapsed. At least one other person had to be treated treated for minor injuries. Accidents on construction sites are all too common. In the period

Occupational Cancer–The Causes

Following on from my last post on occupational cancer, I thought I’d look at the latest evidence on what causes the 8000 estimated deaths every year that are linked to occupational cancer. HSE commissioned Dr Lesley Rushton and colleagues, from Imperial College London to lead a project in collaboration with experts from the Health and

Controlling silica exposure during fettling of castings

In foundries, once  the casting is removed from the mould it is usually necessary to remove excess metal and remedy defects. This process is usually referred to as “fettling” or “finishing”. Fettling normally involves the use of powered hand tools such as chippers and grinders. The operation presents a number of significant risks. Using power