OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA

What is occupational asthma?

Sometimes an airborne substance at work (a respiratory sensitiser) can actually cause a previously healthy person to develop asthma in the first place. This is called 'occupational asthma'.

Occupational asthma can develop weeks, months or even years after starting to work with a respiratory sensitiser.

If you suspect a substance at work has caused you to get asthma, here are the clues to look for:
During the working week your asthma gets worse, either during the day or evening, because the symptoms take time to come on. Often your asthma may only occur or get worse when you go home, sometimes interrupting sleep.

Your asthma gets better when you are not at work or are on holiday (it can take several days to notice any improvement).

What are respiratory sensitisers?

This is an official definition, which the DSS has recognised for the purposes of compensation.

There are many substances at work which can act as respiratory sensitisers. This means they can sensitise the airways in your lungs and cause you to get asthma if you have never had it before.

The main ones include

• dust from insects and animals and products containing them (eg cockroaches, crustacea, wool and laboratory animals)
• dust from tea, beans and wood
• dust from flour, grain and hay
• glues, resins, soldering fumes and chemicals - especially isocyanates

There are over 200 known respiratory sensitisers and more are being identified all the time. If you are worried, speak to your health and safety representative. The DSS publishes a list of substances which are the best known offenders (leaflet NI 237 from your local DSS office).

By law chemicals containing sensitisers and other respiratory irritants should be labelled with the codes S22, R37 or R42.

Occupations where the risk is greatest include: agriculture, food processing (especially baking), electronics, chemical and metal manufacturing or treatment, and industries which involve the use of paints, plastics and wood.

Preventing occupational asthma
Trade unions and the National Asthma Campaign believe that prevention should come first.

There are two important steps

1. Preventing exposure to sensitisers (eg dusts)
2. Protecting people with asthma from exposure to triggers (eg cigarette smoke)
   It is important that everyone should be protected from asthma triggers as well as sensitisers because they can be harmful to all of us, whether we have asthma or not.

Many people are worried about telling their boss they have asthma in case they lose out in some way or are discriminated against. Unions want employers to protect the jobs and earnings of people with asthma. No one should be restricted from any sort of work because of having asthma.

Three ways to tackle exposure to triggers and sensitisers:

1. Dangerous substances should be eliminated from the workplace (or replaced by safe alternatives).
2. If elimination or replacement is not possible, workers should be protected against dangerous substances. Several steps can be taken: isolate the process producing the hazard from the worker; extract the hazard from the workplace; wear protective clothing and a mask.
3. If neither of the above steps is possible, exposure should be reduced to the lowest level possible. The time spent in contact with a dangerous substance can be reduced, or less dangerous substances can be substituted.

Often a combination of all these steps will be needed.
Contact the Health and Safety Executive or your union for further advice on protection and on how to ensure your employer meets their legal obligation to protect you from known risks.

What the National Asthma Campaign offers you

The National Asthma Campaign is the charity dedicated exclusively to fighting for people with asthma and related allergies. It is the biggest non-commercial funder of research into asthma in the UK and provides information and support to all those concerned with asthma including people with asthma themselves, their friends, employers and teachers, as well as doctors, nurses and other carers.

Local support

The Campaign has a network of about 160 local branches around the UK. Each branch offers support to local people and raises money to help support the charity. If you would like to know more, please write to the address nearest to you at the end.

The Asthma Helpline

Getting information and getting involved

The National Asthma Campaign produces a wide range of information materials about living with asthma, including an information booklet, Asthma at Work - Are You Eligible for Compensation? If you would like more details, or would like to join or support the charity, please write to:
National Asthma Campaign

What unions offer you

Trade unions can help people with asthma or those worried about asthma in three main ways:

Prevention

Workplace Safety Representatives receive training, information and advice from the TUC and their own unions on how to prevent occupational asthma and exposure to asthma triggers. Courses can be tailored to different workplaces.

The TUC is one of the main partners in the Health and Safety Executive, helping to set standards and produce guidance.

Employment protection

Unions can also help people with asthma to keep their jobs. They can negotiate with employers to make sure that people with asthma are offered alternative work rather than having to give up their job.

We can also help people with asthma who face discipline, redundancy or medical retirement, by representing them to employers or industrial tribunals.

Compensation

Finally, unions can help people who have got occupational asthma to get compensation, by asking for benefits from the DSS and by funding lawyers to sue negligent employers for damages.