Hi Alan,
Please excuse me if I cover things that you know.
The quick answer to your question is that I cannot remember from my brief
spell in manufacturing of any particular threshold. I think that the answer
would be that it would depend upon the COSHH risk assessment, as always.
Every work area obviously has different levels of control methods and
therefore different thresholds - with the gold star in this case being
ventilation. Others only use PPE. I think the usual line is "Where there
is a likelihood of symptoms occurring in the individual workplace, a health
surveillance programme should be established ....".
There are three HSE leaflets that you may or may not know of that are quite
good - 'Solder Fume and You" (IND(G) 248L, 'Controlling health risks from
rosin (colophony) based solder fluxes' (IND(G) 249L) and, most usefully,
'Assessing exposure to rosin (colophony) based solder flux fume'
(Engineering sheet no 17).
The first is available on line ....
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg248.pdf
You have obviously done a risk assessment and take all necessary steps to
get the MEL down to the EH40 requirement.
My own view would be that health surveillance should not be necessary where
people only have occasional use of solder where there is adequate controls
in place. I would place regular users on a programme though.
Clearly education for all users will be important, particularly with regard
to health effects to look out for; as you know dermatitis and asthma are the
primary issues. There may also be some argument for screening those to be
exposed, even occasionally, to ensure that they do not have any
pre-disposing medical condition that may make them particularly susceptible.
I have looked in my 'little black book' of good websites.
Try Wokingham government:
http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/sys_upl/templates/StdRight/StdRight_disp.asp?pgi
d=4482&tid=71
BBC Safety:
http://www.bbc-safety.co.uk/guidance/coshh/solder.html
This answer is probably is as useful as a chocolate fire guard isn't it?!
Best wishes,
Stu.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Swann, Alan B" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 1:38 PM
Subject: Health surveillance for colophony solder
> Dear all,
> What is a sensible threshold for keeping people working with solder fume
> under health surveillance?
>
> We have many occasional users of solder in College: technicians who on an
> intermittent basis will carry out repairs or make up bespoke electrical
> rigs, or students on project work. There is lots we can & are doing on
> prevention of exposure, but we'll be left with a rag-bag of situations
where
> we cannot be certain that no exposure will occur. However, there are real
> practical (& credibility) difficulties on having a policy which says
survey
> every user who may be exposed, irrespective of frequency & duration of use
> etc.
> Anyone out there got a sensible, defensible, marketable threshold?
>
> Ps Thanks (Occ-Health discussion group) for the wonderfully sensible
> discussion over the week on how to handle conflicting fitness reports.
>
>
> Dr. Alan Swann, BM, AFOM
> Director of Occupational Health
> Occupational Health Service
> Imperial College Health Centre
> Watts Way
> London
> SW7 1 LU
> Tel: +44 (20) 7594 9385
> Fax: +44 (20) 7594 9407
> http://www.ad.ic.ac.uk/occ_health/ <http://www.ad.ic.ac.uk/occ_health/>
|