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This article provides a summary of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) work over recent years to address occupational exposure to particulates during the manufacture and use of coating powders. It contends, in particular, that many users of coating powders are not controlling exposure to total inhalable particulate (TIP) (i.e. the total inhalable dust in the air from all sources), and that these control issues would exist even if TGIC (triglycidyl isocyanurate) was not being used. TGIC is a curing agent for polyester coating powders which is classified as a Category 2 mutagen. HSE is raising awareness that control of exposure is generally poor whatever powders are being used.

Metallic nickel and four nickel compounds are undergoing a risk assessment in the European Union. The outcomes of this risk assessment may be used for a revision of existing or introduction of new occupational exposure limits (OELs) and environmental quality standards (EQS). This study aimed at determining the impact on the nickel plating industry of reduced nickel OELs and EQS, these should be proposed in the future.

Seven companies involved in nickel plating were visited. These companies were selected to provide a reasonable cross‐section of the UK nickel plating industry.

Concerning occupational exposure it would appear that most companies could comply with a reduced maximum exposure limit (MEL) for soluble nickel of 0.05 mg Ni/m³. There is a need to be better informed on the state‐of‐the‐art monitoring methods for airborne nickel species in the workplace. Companies need to be encouraged to start measuring their workplace exposure levels to build up a realistic database. This can be of value when discussing new proposals for exposure limits. In relation to environmental emissions it was concluded that discharge of residues to landfill sites is becoming more difficult. For emissions to water all companies met their consent limit although a reduction in consent limits would place a burden on many companies. Atmospheric nickel emissions from extraction systems appeared to be of minor importance.

The value of the paper lies in the collection of data during site visits, the cross‐section of nickel plating industry studied and the identification of further needs. All data and information presented in this study were collected during site visits and discussions with the operators and managers involved. The 16 companies visited provided a reasonable cross‐section of the UK nickel plating industry which is demonstrated with a discussion of the process information. The paper clearly identifies the areas where further actions are needed.

Aims to examine the impact of health and safety legislation emanating from the European Community and to analyse what effect, if any, it will have on British occupational health and safety law. An examination of the social action programmes shows that the pace of change has increased rapidly since the Single European Act was incorporated into the Treaty of Rome and became operative from July 1987. Because of rapid changes that are occurring on a broad front there was a need to be selective. Emphasizes to some extent, therefore, the construction industry because it would appear that European legislation is likely to have a major impact on British law and practice in this industry.

This paper studies the integration of production and maintenance planning for an unreliable production system subject to gradual deterioration. The goal of this planning is to optimize production and maintenance while reducing workers' exposure to silica dust. The objective will therefore be to offer manufacturers a production strategy that minimizes the total cost of production while considering the health of employees.

Adequate prevention methods are determined and integrated into the granite transformation production system, which evolves in a stochastic environment. With the failure rate of the dust reduction unit being a function of its degradation state, the authors solve the optimization problem using stochastic dynamic programming in the context of nonhomogeneous Markov chain.

The resulting planning strategy shows that one can manage stock optimally while ensuring a healthy environment for workers. It ensures that crystalline silica prevention equipment is available and effective and defines the production rate according to a critical threshold, which is a function of the age of the dust reduction unit.

This article illustrates that it is possible to integrate silica dust reduction measures into production planning while remaining optimal and ensuring the health of operators. In the present study, the machined granite was assumed to be a natural granite, and production takes place in a closed environment.

The originality of this work lies in its development of an optimal joint production and maintenance strategy, which considers limits of exposure to crystalline silica. An optimal production and maintenance control policy considering employees' health is therefore proposed.

This paper explores Lean Six Sigma principles and the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) methodology to propose a new Lean Six Sigma 4.0 (LSS 4.0) framework for employee occupational exams and address the real-world issue of high-variability exams that may arise.

This study uses mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. A detailed case study assesses the impact of LSS interventions on the exam management process and tests the applicability of the proposed LSS 4.0 framework for employee occupational exams.

The results reveal that changing the health service supplier in the explored organization caused a substantial raise in occupational exams, leading to increased costs. By using syntactic interoperability, lean, six sigma and DMAIC approaches, improvements were identified, addressing process deviations and information requirements. Implementing corrective actions improved the exam process, reducing the number of exams and associated expenses.

It is important to acknowledge certain limitations, such as the specific context of the case study and the exclusion of certain exam categories.

The practical implications of this research are substantial, providing organizations with valuable managerial insights into improving efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring regulatory compliance while managing occupational exams.

This study fills a research gap by applying LSS 4.0 to occupational exam management, offering a practical framework for organizations. It contributes to the existing knowledge base by addressing a relatively novel context and providing a detailed roadmap for process optimization.

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate best approaches for facility radon management in a resource-limited environment such as a public university. Radon exposures are believed to be a risk factor for lung cancer. However, the degree to which typical indoor radon levels within settings such as the university campus contribute to lung cancer risk is controversial. The authors sought to develop a risk-balancing approach to safe and cost-efficient facility radon management.

The authors collected pilot monitoring data to determine radon activity levels at a large public university within a projected high-radon region of the southeastern USA, then reviewed scientific literature, trade literature and regulatory guidance to determine radon risk knowledge and best practices for mitigation. From this body of data and information, the authors determined the safest and most resource-effective means for campus radon management.

The developed program for comprehensive radon management included guidance on building selection for most effective use of monitoring, tiered response and mitigation strategies based on radon activity levels and faculty, staff and student education.

The radon management strategies might not be generalizable to facilities with usage patterns that differ from a public university, and should be extrapolated with caution.

This paper shows how building managers can address indoor radon in a manner that maximizes both safety and cost-efficiency.

This paper fulfills a need for evidence-based and prudent approaches to radon management for campuses with mixed residential, educational and occupational contexts and limited resources.

Aims to: familiarize the audience with the potentially serious consequences of exposure to lead and ways of preventing them; facilitate understanding of how massive environmental contamination with lead occurred, and is still happening, with the expectation that this knowledge will be useful in designing strategies to reduce environmental contamination with lead and other toxic substances, in the future; emphasizes the relevance of lead to the subject‐matter of virtually every department in schools of arts and sciences in anticipation that some instructors will incorporate this information into their respective courses to increase their students′ awareness of this topic. Discusses some of the properties and uses of lead and its compounds and then indicates its ubiquitous presence in air, water, soil, dust and food. Considers some effects of exposure to lead and describes some pivotal contributions of various researchers. Explores the role of lead in history, in literature and in art. Briefly surveys occupational exposure to lead in the USA and elsewhere. Describes the reasons for, and consequences of, lead in petrol and in paint. Summarizes an outstanding paper on the topic of values and lead. Finally, based on an examination of a portion of the voluminous literature on lead, offers some opinions on this subject.