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Volume 8 No 3; 24 January 2014
HPR Home | Archives | 2013 news
HSE/industry advice on vaccination of welders
Following a Department of Health recommendation in 2011, that welders should be added to the list of patient groups for whom pneumococcal vaccination is recommended [1], the Health and Safety Executive has published guidance for employers who may be considering a vaccination programme [2].
The guidance – developed jointly with industry bodies, the manufacturers' organisation EEF and the Cast Metals Federation – makes clear that vaccination may be used as a precautionary protective step but will not normally be considered to be part of the hierarchy of controls required under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 [3].
Factors to be taken into account by employers in reaching a decision about whether or not vaccination should be offered include: the efficacy of COSHH control measures; the quantity of welding or metal fume generated and the duration of exposure; and the employee's age, smoking history and whether they have a pre-existing medical condition. In some circumstances, for example, it might be decided to limit the availability of the vaccine to older workers only.
The guidance relates to those exposed to welding or metal fume arising from arc welding, oxy-fuel gas cutting or during casting processes, who may be at increased risk of pneumococcal lobar pneumonia as a result, and includes a decision-making flowchart to inform decision-making by employers or their occupational health service providers.
References
1. Immunisation against Infectious Disease (the “Green Book”) (third edition), November 2012: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book.
2. “Pneumonia vaccination for employees exposed to welding fume” (EIS44), January 2014
[170 KB-PDF]. Information sheet downloadable free of charge from the HSE website: Publications > Free leaflets > Engineering.
3. See HSE information sheet.
Laser pointer warning from CRCE
‘Toy' lasers are damaging the eyes of children, according to claims made in a recent scientific paper in the Royal College of Opthalmologists' journal Eye. The paper included case reports of damage done to youngsters' eyes following exposure to the beams from lasers and ‘toy' lasers [1].
Scientists at Public Health England's Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards have long said that powerful lasers should not be available to the public.
John O'Hagan, head of laser and optical radiation dosimetry at CRCE, told Health Protection Report: “Lasers are not toys. If used incorrectly, even if only briefly, they can cause real and lasting damage to the eye – parents should not allow their children to use these devices.
“We have been measuring the power of lasers for many years and are increasingly finding that those available to buy online can be considerably more powerful than they claim to be. We've tested some lasers which were labelled as relatively low power – they turned out to be extremely powerful devices capable of significant damage to the eye.
“Because of the relative ease with which these devices can be bought – this is a problem which is not going to go away, so parents need to be aware of the dangers these devices pose and keep them out of the hands of children.”
Information about lasers is available from the legacy HPA website [2].
References
1."‘Toy' laser macular burns in children”, Eye (2014), 17 January 2014. Royal College of Opthalmologists.
2. “Laser pointers”. Legacy HPA website: Radiation › Understanding Radiation › Understanding Radiation – Topics › Lasers.
