Leyton Powell Chair of committeeTransport for Wales

Occupational Hygiene Management Group

The rail industry is continuously looking at ways it can improve the protection it offers employees from harm at work. The application of occupational hygiene as a science will allow the industry to anticipate and recognise how eliminating or controlling exposure to hazardous materials and environments can look towards eliminating occupational diseases.

Scope

The purpose of the Occupational Hygiene Management Group is to focus on strategic activities for the assessment and management of the key health risks in the railway. Therefore, the group focuses on exposure to health hazards that could potentially lead to both short and long term occupational diseases—such as silica, noise, vibration, DEEE, welding fumes and microbiological materials such as Legionella.

Message from the chair

So very often we measure our exposure to harmful substances and environments through lag measures. We capture physical damage to the people we are responsible for through health monitoring and surveillance and worse through employee liability claims, truly trying to close the door after the Horse has bolted. Where we understand legal requirements for COSHH, Vibration, Noise etc. we work to industry and legal standards to try and manage the hazard. We look at these in isolation, and in reality we know through a working lifetime our colleagues are likely to be exposed to many if not all of these hazards. And at some time during this time we will measure to see how much damage has been done.

Damage that is being done right now!

The Occupational Hygiene Management Group wants to be proactive, start at the beginning and consider the Occupational Hygiene risks in our industry recognising our history, cultures, and climate. We want to create a better understanding of the risks from exposure to hazardous substances and environments that are likely to cause injury and harm and give advice, guidance, tools and best practices to help mitigate current and avoid future risks. These tools and materials can support organisations to develop an Occupational Hygiene strategy as something that will not only enable legal compliance, prevent illness and injury and reduce cost but improving the quality of life of our colleagues.