By Richard Johnson
When it comes to carrying out home improvements and health and safety
issues, you’re probably like the rest of us and think it’s falling of a
ladder or injuring yourself with a tool that you should worry about.
But one thing you should not forget is the tiny dust particles that can
really damage you health. Ensuring that the correct breathing apparatus
and proper dust barriers are used is essential.
The greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK is asbestos, on average 38 tradesmen from plumbers to decorators die from this hidden killer a week. When working on
projects where there is asbestos you should always wear a breathable
face mask, and keep the dust down to a minimum. Dust barriers and
screens are a great way of keeping the dust contained but you should
always clean up as you work and not let the waste build up. Making sure
you use proper asbestos waste bags and dispose of the waste at a
properly licensed tip.
Although not as severe as asbestos, allergies from dust particles
containing pollen and microscopic dust mites can cause difficulty in
breathing, rashes and sore eyes. That’s just some of the symptoms that
can be caused by being exposed to dust. One of the greatest causes of
dust in the home is building work, so before starting any work you
should section off the work area with protective screening.
If you are like me and have a child with asthma, then like me you
would never want to put your child through an asthma attack. Asthma
attacks are caused when a person suffering from asthma comes into
contact with an asthma trigger like dust or pollen. The muscles in the
airways tighten, which can cause coughing, making it hard to breathe and
a tightness in the chest. If possible when carrying out building work
you should ensure that anyone with asthma is not exposed to the dust.
Ideally not being in the home whilst the work is being done, but this is
not always possible, so at the very least you should have a protective
dust barrier.
So in answer to the question, is dust really that harmful? The
answer is definitely yes. You should always use some form of dust
containment when carrying out building work and wear a face mask if it’s
you carrying out the work. Is it really worth the risk?
