The HSE is encouraging body shop workers to do more to protect themselves after new research suggests that many are putting themselves at risk of developing occupational asthma.

Seven men have been convicted more than 25 years after a gas-plant leak in Bhopal, central India amounted to the biggest industrial disaster the world has ever known.

UK limits on exposure to lead are too lax and could be putting tens of thousands of workers at risk of serious health problems, yet the HSE is ignoring expert advice, a new report has warned.

The HSE has moved on quickly from the furore over its use of unsubstantiated statistics relating to the number of deaths caused by asbestos by launching a new phase of its Hidden Killer campaign.

A comprehensive study of the health of workers who helped clean up in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York has revealed that thousands are now suffering from respiratory problems caused by the dust and fumes that enveloped ‘Ground Zero’ on and after September 11, 2001 (according to a report in the New York Times).

A sheet-metal manufacturing company and its director have appeared in front of magistrates after workers were exposed to high levels of lead at its factory in Norfolk.

A security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside a makeshift office at a construction site in Scotland, which didn’t have adequate ventilation.

A housing provider has pleaded guilty to failing to manage the risks from legionella, a build-up of which was discovered at one of its sheltered-accommodation schemes in Essex.

A construction company failed to identify that lead paint was present during a renovation project, which resulted in two workers being admitted to hospital with acute lead poisoning.

Nuclear operator Sellafield Ltd has been fined £75,000 after two workers inhaled radioactive dust at its site in Cumbria.

Russell Dunne explores the types, common uses and lifecycle of machine-made mineral fibres (MMMF), looking at how the COSHH Regulations specifically apply, and suggesting practical advice for the different occasions when workers will be exposed to MMMF.

Matthew Judson outlines the work being done to address the thousands of deaths and cases of ill health caused by airborne hazardous substances via a new scheme to ensure respiratory protective equipment is fitted, worn and looked after properly.

The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) formalise the requirement to undertake an assessment of the explosion risk due to vapours, gases, or dusts. With reference to an oil-storage terminal, Alex Hills discusses the factors such an assessment should consider.

The use of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems is a common and effective way of controlling contamination of workplaces by hazardous dusts, fumes and vapours. However, many systems used by employers are not designed, installed, or maintained properly, which has prompted the HSE to issue a new set of information solutions, as John McAlinden explains.

Pleural plaques are caused by inhaling asbestos fibres but, unlike more malign conditions caused by exposure to the deadly substance, they are symptomless and do not cause disability. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of legal debate and development in the area of compensation for sufferers, so Mike Boyle reviews the legal reasoning that has led to the current position and argues that any reversal would be counter-productive.

The European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries have joined forces to help minimise workers’ exposure to wood dust.

New guidance on how to manage the health risks related to metal-working fluids has been published online by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation.

Revised HSE guidance is available for businesses on how to deal with hazardous substances in the workplace.

A new campaign from the HSE aims to educate construction workers and their employers about a prevalent and potentially fatal respiratory hazard that is not widely understood in the industry.

The TUC has launched a guide to cancer-causing chemicals in the workplace, which aims to help safety reps keep up the pressure on employers to make workplaces safer, and stop them taking unnecessary risks with their employees’ lives.

Norwegian oil giant Statoil has selected the new Pureflo PF31 ABS helmet respirator from Helmet Integrated Systems Ltd (HISL).

Draeger says its new X-zone 5000 wireless gas-monitoring unit is robust and waterproof, can be easily positioned and provides clear alarms, thus providing increased levels of safety.

Crowcon’s TXgard-IS+ gas detector is fitted with electrochemical sensors, which are said to enable it to detect a wide range of toxic gases and oxygen.

Environmental instrumentation company Quantitech has been awarded a contract worth more than £1 million to provide advanced air-sampling and analysis equipment for the multi-agency air-quality cell (AQC) established in the wake of the Buncefield incident.

JSP says its Filterspec unit, which combines a mask and disposable filter with safety spectacles, allows both protective devices to work independently, but in harmony.