Flour - Does it Get up Your Nose?
Environmental Health Departments within Local Authorities have recently expressed concern regarding the effects that the use of flour can have on employees within small bakeries. This concern stems from the possible health effects that the several notable hazards that are apparent when flour is handled, decanted into containers and is in general use, can have. Bakery workers will, by nature of their work, be exposed to these hazards and employers should include within their completed risk assessments consideration of their workers exposure to flour dust, with the subsequent implementation of suitable control measures being undertaken.
Environmental Health Officers are currently targeting small bakeries following the implementation of the ‘Disease Protection Programme’, which is aimed at achieving ill-health reduction targets nationally. This targeting of bakeries is part of a drive to achieve a reduction in the incidence of chemically induced ill-health and Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) will expect to see that the hazards from flour and related products have been considered in your documented risk assessments and that adequate control measures are in place.
The significant hazards are:
| • | Flour Dust – this is known to be respiratory sensitizer and may cause allergic rhinitis and occupational asthma. As an irritant, flour dust may cause short term respiratory, nasal and eye problems. In cases of pre-existing disease, chronic bronchitis may result. The Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) for flour dust is 10mg/m 3 (8-hr TWA) with a Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 30mg/m (15 minute reference period) – this information should be used by clients if hazard data information is otherwise unavailable. Flour, flour additives and spices may also act as irritants to the skin |
| • | Frequent hand-washing, the use of dough and exposure to detergents may also cause irritant contact dermatitis. |
In all cases, a hazardous substances risk assessment regarding exposure to flour dust should be carried out. Risk Assessment forms and COSHH Safety Information Sheets should be completed (Forms RA and COSHH/SIS are found in your Risk Assessments Manual or are available via the Stationery section for issue) and all relevant employees should be made aware of the details as part of the requirement to give adequate information and instruction to employees about significant hazards in the workplace.
Suitable control measures must be in place with regular monitoring of the work area to ensure that cleaning systems or procedures reduce accumulations of flour dust on surfaces. The use of dust extraction systems is a recommended way of controlling the levels of dust for these small bakeries, but it should be remembered that the use of this type of equipment should be subject to risk assessment and in all cases, extraction systems should be inspected annually by a competent person for efficiency and general working condition (records of such examinations should be filed in your Safety Records system).
As part of an employer’s risk assessment process within a bakery, consideration should be given to the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to control the risk presented by flour, but this should only be considered as a last line of defence against the risks posed by flour use that cannot be removed or reduced by any other means. This use of PPE will probably mean supplying and using the correct type of dust mask, where there is considerable exposure to flour dust. In all cases where this is required, employees must wear the PPE and disciplinary action should be considered in cases where employees persistently do not wear the PPE that has been provided. The PPE must be provided free of charge and must be suitable and sufficiently control the exposure, as intended.
Where employees are suspected of having contracted a skin condition, it will be necessary to conduct health surveillance and the services of an Occupational Health Practitioner may be required to assess the condition and enable a decision on further controls to be made. Environmental Health Officers will almost certainly use formal procedures to deal with bakeries where the above has not been considered.
Peninsula Comment
Flour and other bakery-ingredient dusts can cause harm to health. Once a person is allergic to bakery dust, exposure to even a very small quantity of it can bring on an asthmatic attack and it is possible that the person will never be able to work in a bakery again.
Employers need to consider the processes in their workplace or premises which generate flour dust and apply the relevant and necessary control measures to those tasks, to reduce or remove the risk to their employees. Employers need to do this in order to effectively discharge their duties under the current legislation and this action will generate the added bonus of a healthier workforce, also reducing the incidence of claims being made against them, proving cost effective, in the long term, for those organisations.