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
• CTreating injuries, running the first aid room and managing sickness absence
• 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?

• ASomething that is wholly unavoidable on any construction site of any kind at all
• BTemporary hearing loss that affects older workers and resolves with rest
• CPermanent hearing damage from exposure; prevented by reducing exposure, using hearing protection, and monitoring✓
• DTemporary dulling of hearing, which recovers fully within a day or two

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 Control of 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 operatives who ask 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✓
• DDuties that apply where machinery is audible beyond the site boundary

Answer: The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to assess noise exposure, reduce it, provide hearing protection and provide health surveillance where there is a risk. The lower and upper exposure action values are 80 and 85 dB(A). The exposure limit value is 87 dB(A), taking hearing protection into account.

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
• CStopping work as soon as an operative reports tingling in their hands
• 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
• BA skin rash from cement
• CA condition that is no longer a concern in construction work, because modern cutting discs are manufactured with no 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
• BThe supplier's contact details, so that advice can be sought if needed
• 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 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, 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✓
• BAsthma caused outside work, which site conditions can then aggravate
• CA pre-existing condition, unaffected by dusts, paints or cleaning agents at work
• DA condition which is wholly unpreventable during any kind of construction work whatsoever

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✓
• BCaused by cold weather
• CHarmless
• DA reaction caused by direct contact with strong acids and caustics, and not by wet cement, epoxy 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 once a load weighs more than 25 kilograms, which is widely treated as the legal lifting limit for men
• BProvide back belts
• 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?

• ASomething normal and entirely inevitable within the construction industry itself
• BPsychological strain from work factors (deadlines, pressure, conflict); can cause mental illness and physical disease✓
• CA personal matter, outside the scope of risk assessment or management control
• DA condition affecting managers and supervisors rather than operatives

Answer: Work-related stress is recognised 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✓
• BDays off sick
• CVoluntary reporting
• DPhysical 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 (such as HAVS, occupational dermatitis and occupational asthma), 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✓
• BInfectious 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
• CDiseases serious enough to keep a worker away from the site for more than seven consecutive days
• DThe regulations cover accidents and dangerous occurrences, so cases of disease are instead dealt with between the worker, their GP and the employer's liability insurance company

Answer: RIDDOR 2013 (regulation 8) lists six reportable occupational diseases: carpal tunnel syndrome, cramp in the hand or forearm, occupational dermatitis, hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), occupational asthma, and tendonitis or tenosynovitis in the hand or forearm. Regulation 9 also requires a report of any cancer attributed to occupational exposure to a known carcinogen, such as mesothelioma from asbestos, and of any disease attributed to a biological agent at work, such as leptospirosis. Silicosis and asbestosis were dropped from the list in 2013.

What is 'biological monitoring' in occupational health?

• AA medical examination given to each worker before they start on site and repeated when they leave the project
• BMonitoring of noise and vibration levels on site, using personal meters clipped to the worker's clothing each shift
• 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 a chemical or its breakdown products in a sample, usually urine or blood, to show how much has entered the body by all routes, e.g. lead in the blood of lead workers; biological effect monitoring measures an effect, such as protein in urine after cadmium exposure. Lung function and hearing tests are health surveillance, not biological monitoring.

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✓
• BOnly a minimal amount of information needs to be provided to any of the workers on the site
• CThe site safety rules, the induction slides and the PPE policy
• DTheir written job description and the tasks they are expected to perform

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
• CA role limited to first aid, injury treatment and referral to the worker's GP
• DTo manage the employer's insurance claims and liability paperwork

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.