News: campaign launched to protect motor vehicle workers from occupational asthma

HSE has launched an inspection and awareness campaign to protect vehicle repair workers from isocyanates – the leading cause of occupational asthma.

A gloved hand spraying paint from a spray gun connected to an air hose

Isocyanates campaign launched

From October, HSE will be inspecting vehicle repair shops, bodyshops and garages across Great Britain as part of our new “Isocyanates Awareness” campaign.

Many skilled vehicle paint sprayers develop occupational asthma each year from exposure to isocyanate-containing paints, coatings and lacquers, forcing them to leave their profession early.

The inspection programme will focus on ensuring effective controls, procedures and health monitoring are in place. Businesses commonly fall down on compliance in three critical areas:

Three essential protection measures:

Proper spray booth use and ventilation – maintaining adequate extraction systems that create negative pressure
Correct respiratory protection equipment – workers must use air-fed breathing apparatus, as filtering respirators don’t provide enough protection
Safe clearance procedures – measure and display clearance times clearly, with workers not removing respiratory protection until they are safely outside the spray area and the time has passed

Health checks are essential

Under COSHH regulations, employers must arrange regular health surveillance and biological monitoring for workers exposed to isocyanates. Health surveillance involves regular health checks on lungs and skin to detect early signs of ill-health, whilst biological monitoring uses simple urine tests to check control measures are working effectively.

Remember: Health surveillance identifies health conditions early, but biological monitoring can tell you if your workers are exposed before those health conditions can develop. Both are necessary to protect workers.

Kate Jones, HSE’s biological monitoring team lead, said: “Biological monitoring, a simple urine test, is a quick and cost-effective way to check that control measures are working and being used properly, giving sprayers, dutyholders and HSE confidence that spraying is being done safely.

Isocyanate-containing materials, commonly known as two-pack (2k) paints, are widely used for their durability and finish quality. However, when sprayed, these paints release invisible mist that can reach dangerous levels within minutes.

Once occupational asthma develops, even small amounts of exposure can trigger severe attacks.

New resources to help workers

We’ve launched this new Work Right campaign to help businesses understand their legal responsibilities under COSHH regulations, and to help them become compliant.

Our campaign provides simple guidance on control measures, health surveillance requirements, and biological monitoring procedures, plus templates and tools to help businesses meet their legal obligations.

Visit the Isocyanates Awareness campaign