The Construction Dust Partnership

The Construction Dust Partnership (CDP) is an industry collaboration from Great Britain directly involving many organizations, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The aim of the CDP is to raise awareness within the construction industry about lung diseases related to construction dust and to promote the appropriate controls to prevent these diseases.

Problem

Work-related ill health has devastating consequences for individuals and their families but it is often misunderstood or underestimated. Statistics show that:

• Around 13,000 deaths  in GB each year from occupational lung disease and cancer
• It is estimated that over 40% of new cancer registrations/deaths are to construction workers
• It is estimated that more than 600 construction workers in GB die from exposure to silica dust every year – equating to  more than 10 per week
• 25.7 million working days lost in GB to work-related ill health each year

Solution

The CDP has collectively agreed to:

• Target hazardous construction dusts, particularly those that give rise to the greatest risk of lung disease.
• Improve the construction industry’s awareness of the risks of developing lung disease due to the inhalation of these dusts.
• Identify those construction tasks that give rise to the greatest risk to workers developing such conditions.
• Work together to agree and promote proportionate controls to minimize the risks from these high risk tasks.
• Develop explicit links to effective advice and guidance for employers and construction workers.

Because they believe that a partnership between the regulator and the industry will have more impact than that could be achieved by working in isolation. It helps developing innovation, drive improvements and ensure consistency.

Result

The partnership has achieved a number of outcomes including:

• Launching a dedicated website which contains practical tips for both employers and employees.
• Running ‘free’ dust awareness events
• Producing a construction dust survey report