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Archive for the Latest Developments Category

HSE silica campaign is impacting on UK foundries

In October 2022 the HSE started their latest proactive inspection campaign looking at users of silica.  This campaign includes foundries.  However, in additional to the control of silica on site inspectors are also reviewing metal fume and also dusts.  The seven key steps in producing castings are

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HSE / CMF Molten Metal Safety Alert

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are investigating a number of molten metal/moisture explosions that have occurred in UK foundries in the past twelve months.  Currently there are four active investigations underway. The Cast Metals Federation, following the latest HSE CHASAC meeting in March 2021, have produced

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Deep dives possible as the Foundry Safety Initiative SHIFTs online

The SHIFT initiative, which aims to share knowledge and best practice in health and safety amongst its foundry industry members, quickly switched to on-line meetings last year. Whist it is of course regrettable that physical meetings are not possible, the organisers recognised that webinars were the way

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CMF publishes Covid-19 business support document

The Cast Metals Federation has been working behind the scenes with its members, taking guidance from official UK sources including UK government webpages, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Public Health England and others, to produce a guidance document for the UK foundry industry, to help it

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Warning – Fake HSE e-mails being sent to businesses

We are aware that e-mails are being sent to businesses in the UK purporting to be sent from a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) account. They are e-mails are  threatening prosecution of your company for breaching coronavirus rules. Be alert – These e-mails are FAKE. They claim

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Welding fume question and answer session with the HSE

As part of the record equalling SHIFT forum held in early July 2019, the HSE provided three key people involved in the new work on tackling welding fume to come along and offer delegates an almost unique open question and answer session related directly to the change

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Change in classification for formaldehyde

The EU Parliament has, after a review, adopted a position on formaldehyde as part of the 3rd wave of revisions to the Carcinogen & Mutagens Directive. The effect of this is, as of now formaldehyde is classified as a class 1b carcinogen, presumed to be a human

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HSE Safety alert for welding fume posted on website

There is new scientific evidence from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans. The UK Workplace Health Expert Committee has endorsed the reclassification of mild steel welding fume as

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HSE Publishes Long Latency Report

After a long delay the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have finally published the results of the long awaiting Foundry Long Latency Health Risks Project.  The full report can be downloaded by going to the following link:  https://hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr1115.pdf This is a very important piece of work for the entire

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HSE Publish Health & Work Strategy

The HSE have published on their website, their Health and Work strategy including the priority areas.  The effort is being focussed around conditions with widespread prevalence, the largest lost-time and economic-cost consequences and life-limiting or life-altering impacts. Specifically being targeted are: Occupational stress and related mental health issues; Musculoskeletal disorders;

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