 Home Health and Safety Health and Safety News
New HSE guidance on chronic lung diseases
28 November 2006
New online guidance has been produced to help inform employers and employees about one of the most damaging but least recognised of health issues - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
There are approximately 30,000 deaths each year from the disease in the UK . Although these are linked mainly to smoking, HSE say there would be around 4,000 fewer fatalities every year if occupational risks - such as dust, smoke and fumes - were removed.
COPD is an umbrella term covering a variety of illnesses including; chronic bronchitis, emphysema and bronchiectasis.
The new COPD section on the HSE website includes tips for employees and workers and offers links to other sources of information. The occupations at risk include workers in the food industry who are exposed to flour or grain dust.
Contact Details
Health and Safety section
Ph: 0161 249 2441
Fax: 0161 249 2475
Email: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk
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