The HSE has published a new Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) to make sure that substances that cause occupational asthma are properly controlled.
Occupational asthma is the most frequently diagnosed respiratory disease in Great Britain. The HSE estimates that between 1,500 and 3,000 people develop it every year.
Control of Substances that Cause Occupational Asthma, part of the Health and Safety Commission's campaign to reduce occupational asthma by 30 per cent by 2010, has been combined with the recently published ACoP for the revised Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
The ACoP outlines what the law requires to ensure that these substances are properly controlled. Particular attention should be given to identifying and assessing controls for short-term tasks involving very high exposures. All employees exposed or liable to be exposed to a substance that may cause occupational asthma should be under health surveillance and if an individual develops the disease, their exposure must be controlled to prevent triggering further attacks.
John Thompson, head of chemical policy at the HSE, said: "Employers must act now to prevent this debilitating disease"