The highest blood level of lead contamination are to be found by workers in the demolition and lead battery sector at 2.9% and 2.4% respectively. And, figures for the scrap metal sector show improvements according to a report released today by the Health and Safety Executive.
Throughout the UK in all sectors, for women the sector with the highest proportion with blood-lead levels above the suspension limit was the lead battery industry (8.1%).
The HSE data covers 16,832 men and 813 women in the survey last year. Overall there were fewer people who had to stop working with lead in 1999/2000 than the year before although levels are still up on 1997/1998.
The scrap metal industry, which in previous years had a relativley high proportion of male workers above the industry suspension limit – which requires worker to be moved away from potential lead hazards – has shown a steady decrease over the last two reporting years falling to its lowest level of 1.4%.
David Hulse, incoming head of the British Metals Federation said the results appeared to be encouraging for the metals recycling sector but that its health and safety committee would examine the figures before commenting further.
Under the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1980 and 1998, all workers with significant exposure to lead are required to be under medical surveillance by an appointed doctor or one of HSE's Medical Inspectors. The surveillance includes measurement of each worker's ‘blood-lead level’, the amount of lead in samples of their blood, expressed in micrograms per hundred millilitres. Annual returns give summary statistics for each workplace based on the maximum blood-lead level recorded for each worker under surveillance.
The Approved Code of Practice issued with the Regulations lays down limits of blood-lead concentration above which the appointed doctor is required to take action. If a worker's blood-lead level exceeds this limit a repeat measurement must be made, and if this is still over the limit the worker should be suspended from working with lead.
Further information is available from the
HSE.
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