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The adoption of a workplace exposure limit for diesel exhaust emissions is one of the measures it requires.
Air pollution is linked to nearly 36,000 premature deaths a year in the United Kingdom. It is considered the biggest environmental risk for public health. Research from King's College London suggests that more than 9,400 people die prematurely because of poor air quality in London alone. Environmental pollution is related to cancer, lung and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, infertility and early dementia.
The British Safety Council has published a report "Impact of air pollution on the health of outdoor workersWhich proves that ambient air pollution is a health professional risk in Britain. In its report, the charity presents claims that direct its campaign to limit the risks of air pollution to the health of outdoor workers.
Several pilot projects are starting to monitor and measure the levels of air pollution experienced by people who work and live in London. Their findings will be instrumental in developing recommendations to reduce people's exposure to air pollution in the capital.
However, the UK government and regulatory bodies such as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) continue to show a lack of interest in the regulation and guidance of air pollution, said the British Safety Council.
In March 2019, the Council launched its Time to breathe This campaign focuses on the protection of outdoor workers against air pollution. The cornerstone of the campaign is dairy, a mobile app that gives outdoor workers and their employers an overview of pollution and ways to reduce staff exposure to pollution. It was created in cooperation with King's College London. dairy relies on the London Air Quality (LAQN) pollution map in the King and the user's GPS to calculate a person's exposure to pollution on an hourly basis.
The new report "Impact of Air Pollution on the Health of Out-workers" is the next step in the campaign. It brings together the available evidence on the causes and consequences of air pollution in Britain. It also reviews international examples of initiatives put in place to measure air pollution in different locations and their recommendations for risk reduction.
In the report, the British Safety Council asks:
1. The United Kingdom to adopt the World Health Organization's exposure limits for major pollutants
2. Government action to ensure that ambient air pollution is treated as a health problem at work and to adopt a workplace exposure limit for gas emissions from the environment. exhaust of diesel engines (WEEE)
3. Improved pollution monitoring in the UK, so that all regions can have the same precision on emissions as London.
4. Recognize that protection against the dangers of air pollution should be enshrined in law as a human right.
Lawrence Waterman, former head of health and safety at the London Olympic Delivery Authority and Battersea Power Station, is the chairman of the British Safety Council. He said: "The impact of air pollution on people working in big cities is starting to be recognized as a major risk to public health. However, we still do not see any real commitment from the government and regulators to solve this problem.
"The Time to breathe campaign, as well as our recent report, is a call to action for policy makers, regulators and industry leaders. The social and economic implications of ambient air pollution are clear. It must be recognized as a professional health risk, much like some toxic substances such as asbestos. Breathing in clean air is not a privilege, but a basic human right for the thousands of people who carry out essential work outside. "
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