Industry News
New research shows ou
workers are exposed to
15% more pollution tha
the average Londoner
We are building the evidence base that p
must act on air quality says British Safety
» AN APP DEVELOPED BY
King College London as part
of the British Safety Council’s
Time to Breathe campaign
is building on a growing
evidence base that proves
outdoor workers are exposed
to air pollution well above the
World Health Organisation’s
(WHO) recommended limits.
However, huge variance
in quality and coverage of
air quality measurement
across the UK suggests the
problem could be greater than
previously thought.
The app gathers data based
on London’s air quality
monitoring stations and gives
individual users a read-out
of the air pollution they are
exposed to at work. The first
data release from British Safety
Council confirms that outdoor
workers are put at more risk
than average Londoners. The
WHO says that air pollution is
now the world’s largest single
environmental health risk and
that reducing air pollution
could save millions of lives.
As well as campaigning to
improve ambient air quality
the British Safety Council is
working on practical solutions
to reduce the risks for outdoor
workers.
Over six months the Canairy
app has gathered data from a
sample of Londoners. Outdoor
workers were exposed to air
pollution averages higher
than guidelines for NO2,
particulate matter (PM2.5
and PM10) and Ozone. Some
maximum exposures were
nearly two thirds higher than
recommended WHO limits.
The workers were in two
groups, some mostly working
in offices and others mostly
working outside. Although
both groups were exposed to
high levels of air pollution,
those working outside are
exposed to worse pollution
than the average Londoner.
The British Safety Council
launched Time to Breathe in
March 2019. The campaign
offers the Canairy app free to
give workers and employers
information about air
pollution exposure as well
as providing free advice
and guidance. The British
Safety Council has called
on the government to adopt
WHO guidelines in the new
Environment Bill. In March
2020 the British Safety Council
will be taking the campaign
to Manchester to highlight
the limitations of air pollution
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MAY/JUN 2020
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