Safety equipment vital for motor vehicle repair workers

Firms in the motor vehicle repair may want to invest in personal protective equipment (PPE), after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a health warning to the industry's workers.

A new report by the watchdog explained that vehicle spray painters have a risk of developing asthma which is 80 times greater than the average UK worker, because they use paints containing isocyanates.

The HSE also advised firms to use the relevant PPE as well as kit such as safety gloves or protective boots and stressed the importance of protecting workers from breathing in isocyanates.

In addition, the organisation's research found that 85 per cent of sprayers are wearing protection such as air-fed breathing apparatus, although there are concerns that many are not using it correctly.

'Occupational asthma destroys careers and lives. We appreciate that sprayers work to tight deadlines and time pressures, but they should not be gambling with their health,' commented the HSE's Louise Rice.

Recently, the HSE launched a safety event in Cannington in the south-west of England to offer safety guidance to farmers, which may encourage some to use protective gear such as safety gloves.
 

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