Occupational Health

What is 'occupational health' in construction?

• APrevention and management of work-related illness, disease, and health monitoring✓
• BA matter for the individual worker
• COnly treating injuries
• DOnly mental health

Answer: Occupational health focuses on preventing and managing work-related diseases and conditions through risk assessment, exposure control, medical surveillance, and health promotion.

What is 'noise-induced hearing loss' (NIHL) and how is it prevented?

• AUnavoidable
• BOnly affects older workers
• CPermanent hearing damage from exposure; prevented by reducing exposure, using hearing protection, and monitoring✓
• DTemporary and recovers

Answer: NIHL is irreversible hearing damage from noise exposure. Prevention requires: engineering controls (quieter equipment), work rotation, hearing protection (earplugs, muffs), and monitoring.

What are the duties under the Noise at Work Regulations 2005?

• AThe regulations add nothing, because the general duty of care under the 1974 Act is taken to cover noise on construction sites
• BProviding ear defenders to any operative who asks for them, which is taken to discharge the employer's duty under the regulations
• CAssess noise exposure, provide hearing protection, health monitoring, and reduce exposure to levels below action values✓
• DOnly for very loud work

Answer: Noise Regulations require: exposure assessment, exposure action values (85 dB(A) and 87 dB(A)), provision of hearing protection, and exposure reduction measures.

What is 'Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome' (HAVS)?

• AVascular and neurological damage from vibrating tool use causing pain, numbness, and circulation problems✓
• BTemporary pins and needles after using a breaker, which passes completely once the tool has been put down for a while
• CA condition recognised in mining but not in construction, where tools are used for shorter periods each day
• DAn involuntary tremor of the hands that develops with age and is unrelated to the use of powered hand tools

Answer: HAVS is an occupational disease from prolonged use of vibrating tools. Symptoms include white fingers, numbness, and loss of grip strength. Prevention includes tool selection and work rotation.

What are the duties under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005?

• AThe regulations set no specific duties, since hand-arm vibration is regarded as an unavoidable feature of using percussive hand tools on site
• BDuties that apply only to the most powerful percussive tools, with hand-held grinders and drills excluded from any such assessment
• COnly stop work
• DAssess vibration exposure, reduce exposure through tool selection and work rotation, health monitoring, and provide information✓

Answer: The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 require: vibration exposure assessment, control measures (quieter tools, reduced use time), health monitoring of workers, and information provision.

What is 'silicosis' and how is it prevented in construction?

• AJust a minor irritation
• BOnly affects stone masons
• CA condition that is no longer a concern in construction work, because modern cutting discs are manufactured without any silica content in them
• DLung disease from inhaling silica dust (found in sandstone, concrete cutting); prevented by wet cutting and respiratory protection✓

Answer: Silicosis is a serious lung disease from silica dust. Prevention: wet cutting methods, dust extraction, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, and exposure reduction.

What is a 'COSHH assessment' and what are its purposes?

• AOptional if careful
• BPurely advisory
• CAn assessment needed only for substances labelled as toxic, with irritants and skin sensitisers excluded from the assessment process
• DControl of Substances Hazardous to Health assessment identifying substances, hazards, and control measures to protect workers✓

Answer: COSHH assessments identify: hazardous substances present, health hazards, exposure routes (inhalation, skin, ingestion), persons at risk, and required control measures.

What information must be provided for hazardous substances under COSHH?

• AOnly the chemical formula and the supplier's batch number, which are printed on the label of each container supplied to the site
• BOnly supplier contact
• CSafety Data Sheets (SDS) with hazard classification, exposure limits, safe handling procedures, and emergency response✓
• DSubstances in everyday use, such as cement or gas oil, need no information, as operatives are assumed to understand them

Answer: Suppliers must provide Safety Data Sheets (SDS) containing: hazard classification, physical properties, health effects, exposure limits, protective measures, and emergency procedures.

What is 'health surveillance' in occupational health?

• ARendered unnecessary where personal protective equipment has been issued and the operatives have signed for it at induction
• BRegular health monitoring of workers exposed to health risks (medical checks, lung tests, hearing tests)✓
• CRequired only once a worker reports symptoms, at which point they are referred to an occupational health provider
• DA fitness-for-work test carried out at induction only, to confirm that the worker is physically able to do the job

Answer: Health surveillance monitors workers exposed to occupational hazards through: medical questionnaires, clinical examinations, lung function tests, hearing tests, and biological monitoring.

What is 'asthma' in occupational settings and its triggers in construction?

• AOccupational asthma triggered by substances like isocyanates (paints), dusts, and cleaning agents; prevented by exposure control✓
• BOnly from outside work
• CUnrelated to work
• DUnpreventable

Answer: Occupational asthma in construction is triggered by: spray paint fumes (isocyanates), wood dust, cement dust, and cleaning chemicals. Prevention: substitution, extraction, respiratory protection.

What is 'dermatitis' in construction and how is it prevented?

• ASkin inflammation from exposure to irritants/allergens (cement, epoxy); prevented by skin protection and hygiene✓
• BImpossible to prevent
• CHarmless
• DA reaction caused only by direct contact with strong acids and caustics, and not by wet cement, resins or solvents

Answer: Occupational dermatitis is triggered by cement (alkaline), epoxy resins, solvents, and cleaning products. Prevention: gloves, skin barriers, washing, and protective creams.

What is 'manual handling injury' and what controls are needed?

• AAn injury that arises only from lifting very heavy loads, so ordinary carrying and pushing need no assessment at all
• BControls are needless, provided that operatives have been shown how to lift with a straight back and their knees bent
• CAn unavoidable part of construction work, managed by rotating operatives between different tasks each week on the site
• DBack/musculoskeletal injury from lifting or handling; prevented by proper techniques, mechanical aids, and training✓

Answer: Manual handling injuries (back strain, hernia, joint damage) are prevented by: mechanical aids (trolleys, hoists), proper training, team lifting, and limiting load weight.

What duties do employers have under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992?

• ADuties that apply only where a load weighs more than 25 kilograms, which is widely treated as the legal lifting limit
• BOnly provide advice
• CExempt from duties
• DAssess risks, avoid manual handling where possible, provide mechanical aids, train workers, and maintain equipment✓

Answer: Manual Handling Regulations require: risk assessment, elimination where possible, mechanical aids, proper training, and ongoing monitoring of procedures.

What is 'stress' as an occupational health hazard in construction?

• ANormal and inevitable
• BPsychological strain from work factors (deadlines, pressure, conflict); can cause mental illness and physical disease✓
• CHarmless to health
• DOnly affects managers

Answer: Work-related stress is recognized as a health hazard. Risk factors: high demands, tight deadlines, conflict, lack of control, isolation. Management requires assessment and support.

What is 'Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences' (RIDDOR) in occupational health?

• ALegal requirement to report work-related injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences to the HSE✓
• BOnly deaths
• CVoluntary reporting
• DOnly physical injuries needing hospital treatment, with work-related illness left to the employee's own GP

Answer: RIDDOR requires reporting of: fatal injuries, serious injuries (specific types), occupational diseases (silicosis, asbestosis, HAVS), and dangerous occurrences.

What are 'occupational diseases' that must be reported under RIDDOR?

• AWork-related conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, occupational dermatitis, occupational asthma, HAVS, tendonitis/tenosynovitis, and severe cramp of the hand or forearm✓
• BOnly infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and tetanus, which are notified through the local authority's public health team rather than through the Health and Safety Executive
• COnly very serious diseases
• DThe regulations cover accidents and dangerous occurrences only, so cases of disease are instead dealt with between the worker, their GP and the employer's insurance company alone

Answer: Since the 2013 RIDDOR revision, the reportable occupational diseases are: carpal tunnel syndrome, severe cramp of the hand or forearm, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), occupational asthma, and tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm. Diseases such as silicosis, asbestosis, and mesothelioma were removed from the RIDDOR list in 2013 (HSE is consulting in 2026 on reinstating some of these).

What is 'biological monitoring' in occupational health?

• AA medical examination given to every worker before they start on site and repeated when they leave the project
• BMonitoring carried out only where workers handle chemicals, and not for noise, vibration or dust exposure
• CA check of a worker's general fitness carried out by the site nurse whenever a health problem is first reported
• DMeasurement of substances or their effects in body tissues to assess exposure (blood tests, urine tests)✓

Answer: Biological monitoring measures: blood lead levels, lung function (spirometry), urine markers, or hearing thresholds to assess if control measures are working and exposure is acceptable.

What information must be provided to workers under occupational health regulations?

• AInformation on hazards, health risks, exposure limits, protection measures, health surveillance procedures, and emergency response✓
• BMinimal information
• COnly safety rules
• DOnly job descriptions

Answer: Workers must receive: information on occupational hazards and health risks, exposure monitoring results, health surveillance findings, protective measures, and support available.

What is the role of an 'occupational health nurse' or 'occupational health advisor' on construction sites?

• ATo provide health monitoring, advise on control measures, manage health records, and support workers' health✓
• BTo treat injuries at the site first aid room and refer anything more serious to the nearest emergency department
• CAn undefined role
• DOnly manage insurance

Answer: Occupational health professionals: conduct health surveillance, provide evidence-based recommendations, maintain confidential health records, and support worker wellbeing.

What must be done when a worker is diagnosed with an occupational disease?

• ANotify the employer's liability insurers so that any future claim can be handled, and take no other action on the site
• BRecord the diagnosis in the worker's health file and keep it confidential, taking no further action anywhere on the site
• CA diagnosis is treated as a private matter between the worker and their doctor, with no bearing on the site's arrangements
• DReport to HSE (if reportable), investigate cause, review exposure controls, notify other workers, and provide support✓

Answer: Occupational disease requires: HSE notification (if reportable), investigation of exposure controls, review of risk assessment, notification to other potentially exposed workers, and medical support.