October 31, 2001—The UK Health and Safety Commission has outlined a comprehensive package of measures to reduce occupational asthma—a problem that is estimated to cost society between 579 million and 1,159 million over the next ten years.
The measures include:
- a target to reduce occupational asthma by 30 percent over the next nine years;
- publishing an approved code of practice on the control of occupational asthma as an annex to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002;
- a project board that will develop, publish, and help implement an action plan, to be published in spring 2002; and,
- free guidance for employers on what steps are necessary.
For more information, contact the Health & Safety Executive.
Based on a report by Workplacelaw.net
