A staggering 742,00 people die every year from occupational cancers, caused by exposure to carcinogens in the workplace. These include exposure to asbestos, silica dust, solar radiation (sunlight) and diesel fumes. But with better occupational health and safety (OSH) strategies, more awareness and the right training, IOSH can help you to reduce the risks for yourself and your team.

IOSH awareness courses will help you manage health and safety risks in the workplace using practical and effective tools, processes and knowledge.

But to manage risks, you must first understand them and where they can be found. In this article we’ll cover all the basics, but for more information, please visit our pages on preventing occupational cancer.

Asbestos

125 million people around the world are thought to be exposed to asbestos in their workplace – and when not managed safely, it poses a severe threat to people’s health. An estimated 233,000 occupational cancer deaths are caused by asbestos every year.

Asbestos fibres are a thousandth of the diameter of a human hair – and when workers breathe these in, they can become stuck in the lungs – and over time, this can cause serious illnesses, including fatal cancers.

Where you can find asbestos:

Asbestos can be found in a variety of materials and applications due to its heat-resistant and insulating properties. Common sources include asbestos millboard and papers used for insulating electrical equipment, asbestos yarns in fire-protective clothing and gaskets, and fibre cement widely used for roofing, wall cladding, and pipes. It is also present in floor tiles, insulating boards for fire-resistant insulation in buildings, and laggings on boilers and pipes. Additionally, asbestos has been used in mastics, sealants, adhesives, reinforced plastics, spray coatings for fire protection, and textured coatings or paints for decorative purposes.

Spotting the signs

Workers exposed to asbestos should be vigilant for signs of asbestos-related illnesses, which may include a persistent cough, breathlessness, coughing up blood-streaked phlegm, chest or shoulder pain, loss of appetite, unexpected weight loss, swelling in the neck or face, and persistent fatigue.

Find out more about the risks of asbestos here.

Silica dust

Anyone working at a construction site or quarry will be exposed to tiny, almost invisible particles in the air known as silica. Individual silica dust particles are so small they are invisible to the naked eye in normal light. This means you can’t see silica dust in the air, even in relatively high concentrations, and workers are oblivious to what they are inhaling.

Silica is a natural substance found in stone, rocks, sand and clay in its crystalline form. It is also found in bricks, tiles, concrete and some plastics. When these materials are being cut or drilled into, crystalline silica is released as a very fine dust that can be breathed in. This dust causes significant ill-health effects, including silicosis and cancers.

A joint World Health Organization and International Labour Organization report estimates 42,258 global deaths in 2016 could be attributed to occupational exposure to silica and 1.3 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were attributed to occupational exposure to silica in the same period.

Exactly how silica dust causes lung cancer is unclear. The IARC suggests the most likely cause is when silica dust deposits in the lungs, the toxicity makes it difficult for the body’s natural defence cells to remove it. The dust remains in the lungs, causing persistent inflammation. This inflammation can damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the lung cells and lead, in some people, to lung cancer.

Reducing the risk

Working in construction, there are many activities that pose a high risk of silica dust – from drilling and cutting to simply sweeping up. So, you will need to work with managers and workers to help risk assess, implement controls, and eliminate or reduce exposure.

Find out more about the risks of silica dust here.

Sun safety

Anyone who works outside should be concerned about the effects of sun on their skin (solar radiation). Between 2-3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year. However up to 90% of skin cancer deaths could be prevented if exposure to UV is controlled.

Solar radiation is classified as a group one carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO) – and it is recognised as a definite cause of cancer in humans.

The reality is that the risks faced by millions of outdoor workers is far greater that the risk to holidaymakers. For significant periods of the year, outdoor workers are typically exposed to solar radiation for hours at a time, day in, day out. They may have long-term solar radiation exposure to particular body parts such as head, neck, arms and hands.

Reducing the risk

There are lots of ways to reduce the risks of solar radiation, from checking weather forecasts to adding UV tints to windows. And OSH professionals are likely to be heavily involved with their organisation’s solar exposure plan. This could be to help implement a plan, liaise with an external provider who is implementing a plan or support with the maintenance of a solar exposure system that is already in place.

Find out more about the risks of solar radiation here.

Diesel fumes

Anyone who works with or around diesel-powered equipment or vehicles should be concerned about fumes, which are known as diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEEs).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 14,728 people died between 2000 and 2016 due to occupational exposure to DEEE. A figure that could have been greatly reduced with proper training and awareness of the risks.

DEEE may contain more than 10 times the amount of soot particles than petrol exhaust fumes, and the mixture includes several carcinogenic substances. Continuous exposure can cause chronic respiratory ill health, with symptoms including coughing and feeling breathless. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the WHO, has upgraded them to a group one carcinogen.

If workers are exposed to DEEE regularly and over a long period, there is an increased risk of lung cancer – and exposure is also linked to other health conditions such as bladder cancer (and potentially other cancers such as oesophagus, larynx, pancreas and stomach), increased risk of heart and lung disease.

Even if people lead a healthy life, do not smoke or have a strong history of cancer in the family, DEEE can still cause lung cancer, depending on the number of airborne particulates the worker is exposed to.

Reducing the risk

OSH professionals may need to help implement a DEEE exposure plan, liaise with an external provider who is implementing a plan or support with the maintenance of a DEEE exposure system that is already in place.

Find out more about the risks of DEEE here.

No one knows OSH like IOSH

As the World’s only chartered body for OSH, IOSH can help you create an OSH strategy that understands the risks and causes of occupational cancers – and offers training to ensure everyone has the knowledge to stay safe in the workplace.

Good occupational safety and health makes good business sense at board, manager and worker levels. IOSH for Business helps construction organisations of every size with occupational safety and health strategies

Find out more here.