Work-caused cancer
Carcinogenic substances people are exposed to at work are one of the biggest causes of avoidable cancer in adults. In the UK alone, almost 14,000 new cases of cancer are registered a year –4,000 because of asbestos, and 10,000 linked to exposures from silica dust to diesel fumes. Around 8,000 people die a year as a result of workplace cancer. Globally, it’s estimated that around 666,000 die a year from cancer caused by a workplace exposure. According to the International Labour Office, occupational cancer is by far the largest cause of workplace deaths.
The IOSH campaign
The No Time to Lose campaign aims to get carcinogenic exposure issues more widely understood and help businesses take action. The campaign aims to:
- raise awareness of a significant health issue facing workers in the UK and internationally
- suggest some solutions on a UK scale to tackle the problem – a national model that can be transposed internationally
- offer free practical, original materials to businesses to help them deliver effective prevention programmes
The International Agency for Research on Cancer lists over 50 substances as known or probable causes of workplace cancer. The IOSH campaign will focus on five key issues: asbestos, diesel fumes, shiftwork, silica dust and solar radiation. We are concentrating on the cancer-causing exposures, how they are encountered, the links to trades and activities, how many people may be ‘at risk’, and the typical controls needed to manage them. Over the two-year life of the campaign, launched on 03 November 2014, we will releasefree resource packs to tackle these carcinogenic exposures:
Asbestos – affecting many areas, mostly construction and trades like plumbing or maintenance, but also an issue in sectors like retail, education and public services, where older buildings will contain asbestos.
Around 4,000 deaths a year in the UK are caused by asbestos exposure. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 1.8 million people are still at risk.
Awareness of asbestos is much more established in many countries but there are significant quantitiesstill in situ and exposure cases emerge on a regular basis.
Diesel – again, diesel engine exhaust emissions affect many areas, not just transport, but construction trades, energy extraction, warehousing, agriculture andgarages and workshops.
The HSE estimates 10,000 people are still at risk, but others put the UK ‘at risk’ figure closer to 500,000. Deaths are estimated at 650 a year to lung or bladder cancer.
Shiftwork – long termshiftwork, involving night shifts, is largely an issue for women, unlike other male-dominated areas. Sectors featured include healthcare, transport, communication, leisure and hospitality.
More research is needed, but it’s estimated that shiftwork is linked to 2,000 cases of breast cancer a year.
Silica – typically affecting roofworkers, stonecutters, construction workers and roadworkers.
Deaths are estimated to be 800 a year. Dr Lesley Rushton, author of the ground-breaking report, ‘The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain’,has completed modelling work that shows that if compliance with current controls of respirable crystalline silica could be improved from 33 per cent to 90 per cent, over 600 UK cancer registrations would be avoided.
Solar radiation – a number of outdoor trades affected, from construction through roadworkers to farmworkers.
At least 1,500 new cases of cancer linked to solar radiation exposure through work are registered each year in Britain. Non malignant skin cancers are more treatable than some cancers, but the registrations are still high and there have been deaths attributed to excessive sun exposure at work.
Find out more and get free resources at
Follow the campaign at twitter.com/_NTTL
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
November 2014
Sources: Health and Safety Executive, Imperial College London, Institute of Occupational Medicine, International Agency for Research on Cancer, International Commission on Occupational Health, International Labour Office