Transcript Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Spring 2013
Who are we and what do we stand for?
The Ballast Dust Working Group (BDWG) is an association of 8 group members with the
common interest in identifying, mitigating and managing the risks associated with ballast
handling and the dusts created through the process of attrition.
The BDWG have a common goal to protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees
and other people who might be affected by ballast handling activities within the Rail Industry
The Ballast Dust Working Group has been
sub divided into 6 different working parties.
Each working party has a specific
deliverable to help support the Rail
Industry in controlling the risks surrounding
Ballast handling and Ballast Dust
particularly.
These Sub Groups will be reviewing;
Tonnes of Ballast
Aggregate used by the
Rail Industry each year
Numbers of
wagons involved
in the transit of
ballast across the
Rail Infrastructure
1.Safe Systems of Work
2.Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health
3.Occupational Exposure Monitoring
Percentage of Ballast
transited by Rail
4.Communications
5.Behavioural Change
Percentage of Ballast
transited by Road
6.Respiratory Protective Equipment
Spring 2013
BDWG/N/001
Occupational Exposure Monitoring
This working group is focussed on setting an
industry pro forma for the monitoring and reporting of
occupational exposure monitoring for all activities
involving Ballast and Ballast Dust generation.
The pro forma will incorporate the requirements of
the Health and Safety Executives Workplace
Exposure Limits (WELs) as defined in their
Guidance Note EH40 2005, which form part of the
requirements of the Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 (as
amended).
The working group shall also collate a Rail Industry
database of monitoring results for all activities
involving Ballast and Ballast Dust generation using
the EH40 WEL limits as follows;
•Respirable Dust
•Total Inhalable Dust
•Respirable Silica
4 mg.m-3/8 hour
10 mg.m-3/8 hour
0.1 mg.m-3/8 hour
This Industry database shall be made available to all
group members through the Network Rail Safety
Central web portal and be used as a baseline for
ongoing occupational monitoring and management
of risks to employees and the development of future
monitoring protocols and improved controls.
SILICOSISSilicosis, a lung disease caused
by breathing in silica dust, is
believed to date back to
Neolithic times.
Silica (chemical name silicon
dioxide) is everywhere. It is a
major component of sand,
sandstone, rock and granite, and
often
forms
a
significant
proportion of clay, shale and
slate. Quartz is the most
common form of crystalline silica
used throughout industry
As far as occupational exposure
is concerned it is crystalline
silica that is of key interest.
Silica has been linked to an
increased risk of lung cancer,
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD) and ‘may’ be
linked to kidney disease and
autoimmune diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists at the Health and
Safety Laboratory (HSL) recently
estimated that 789 people die
annually of silica induced lung
cancer.
Source: 30 May 2011 The RoSPA Occupational
Safety & Health Journal
The Ballast Dust Working group
has been set up to develop risk
assessments,
controls
and
health surveillance to help
protect railway workers and their
health.
Spring 2013
BDWG/N/001
Think:
Where Safety Starts
Communications
Everyone Home Safe Every Day
This working group is focused
on working with Network Rail on
developing a behavioral safety
and human factors module on
Ballast Dust, challenging the
way we think about safety and
the
acknowledgement
that
everyone has a part to play in
the safety of anyone within the
Rail Industry.
The working group understands the importance of
communicating to the industry about who we are and
what we are aiming to achieve.
This group will commence in
Spring 2013
Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health
This
working
group
is
developing
a
guidance
document which advises the
industry on the prioritization and
control measures that can be
applied to control ballast dust
exposure to staff within the Rail
environment.
These documents are task
specific and review not only
activities being performed but
also the different groups of
people exposed mandating
appropriate control measures
and RPE when required.
These documents along with a
supporting training presentation
will shortly become available
through Network Rail’s Safety
Central web portal
Spring 2013
We will initially be releasing an awareness campaign
under the Network Rail ‘everyone home safe every day’
(EHSED) banner which will aim to educate the industry
on the risks associated with ballast dust and what we
as an industry can do to protect ourselves and others.
We will do this through the following mediums;
•Poster Campaigns
•EHSED Presentation
•Tool box talk cards
•Memory cards
These documents will shortly become available through
Network Rail’s Safety Central web portal
IOSH Railway Group
The BDWG recently participated in the IOSH Railway
group conference ‘Dust, bugs and fumes – it’s about
COSHH’ where the Rail Industry was encouraged to
focus more on protecting workers health.
The event, held in July 2012 also took a look at how
employers can comply with COSHH Regulations,
helping raise awareness of how to properly monitor
exposure levels.
Speakers on the day included Dr Claire Dickinson,
central specialist inspectors team manager and
occupational health programme manager at the Office
of Rail regulator (ORR) and Julie Helps, from the HSE.
BDWG/N/001
Respiratory Protective
Equipment (RPE)
The working group is focussed on reviewing the RPE
requirements for specific work activities involving
Ballast Dust generation.
Focusing strongly on the Personal Protective
Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 and the Health
and Safety Executives Guidance - HSG53 Respiratory protective equipment at work: A practical
guide, this working group is tasked with producing the
following
documents
associated
with
the
management of the risks associated with ballast dust;
1.Procedure on RPE
2.Supporting training presentation on RPE
3.Activity specific RPE Risk Assessments
4.Tool Box Talk on RPE
Updates will be issued routinely through this
Newsletter and all materials will become available
through Network Rail’s Safety Central and Opsweb
web portals
RoSPA
Occupational
Health Journal on
the theme of
‘working together’
The Ballast Dust Working
Group has submitted an
article to ROSPA on its
current activities. This
article was featured in the
October 2012 issue
Safe Systems of
Work
Working in conjunction
with the COSHH working
group this team shall
develop a suite of SSoW
around ballast handling
activities
This group will commence
mid 2013
ORR Review
The BDWG continue to hit
headlines when referenced
within the recent
ORR
publication of their Health
and Safety report, July 2012
where they acknowledge the
collaborative work by the
ballast dust working group,
led by Network Rail, on the
risks posed by exposure to
silica dust.
A Word from Us…
‘I am part of the ballast dust
working group as I want
Balfour Beatty to be part of
an industry leading group.
Our aim is to minimise the
risk of ballast dust to our
workers and minimise the
disturbance to neighbours
and the environment’.
Mark Drayton
Senior Environmental Advisor
Balfour Beatty Rail
‘Recognising the importance
of occupational health to the
Rail Industry, the BDWG is a
key driver in seeking OH&S
improvements. Working
together is a more effective
way to achieve this.’
Edward Hodson
Safety
Assurance
Manager
DB Schenker
Rail UK
Erol Baduna
Competence Specialist
NDS Services
'Being part of a working group that promotes
and supports front line management in helping
the workforce understand what a safe
environment means to them is important'.
For further information please contact:
Caroline Meek
Lynsey Gilfillan
Head of HSEA
National SQE Manager
[email protected]
[email protected]
Spring 2013
BDWG/N/001