HSE Intensifies Focus on Respiratory Hazards and COSHH Compliance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has stepped up its inspection and enforcement activities across the UK food and drink manufacturing sector, placing a sharp focus on occupational lung diseases and compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). Recent regulatory actions highlight a decisive shift toward proactive, health-led interventions as the watchdog seeks to curb preventable industrial ill health.

Under current strategic directives, the HSE is conducting thousands of proactive inspections targeting sectors where workers face significant airborne respiratory risks. Bakeries, flour-processing plants, and large-scale food manufacturing facilities have become major focal points following investigations that revealed widespread exposure to hazardous inhalable dusts above established workplace exposure limits.

Recent Prosecutions Highlight Severe Legal Penalties

The regulatory clampdown is translating into substantial financial penalties under the Sentencing Council’s definitive guidelines. In recent enforcement actions, major baking and manufacturing entities faced heavy fines for failing to adequately protect employees from flour dust and manual handling hazards. For instance, Puratos Limited was fined £120,000 at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court following investigations that confirmed workers were exposed to excessive inhalable dust concentrations. Similarly, David Wood Baking Limited was penalized with a £333,333 fine at Medway Court for severe machinery safety breaches.

HSE inspectors have emphasized that employers must move beyond paper-based risk assessments. Companies are expected to implement robust engineering controls—such as localized exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems, enclosed material handling, and rigorous dust monitoring—to ensure workers are not breathing in harmful ingredients on a daily basis.

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Key Responsibilities for Food Industry Employers

To remain compliant with COSHH and avoid costly enforcement notices or prosecution, food businesses and manufacturers must adhere to core regulatory duties:

  • Comprehensive Risk Assessments: Regularly review and update COSHH assessments to identify all hazardous substances, including flour dust, cleaning chemicals, and biological agents.
  • Effective Exposure Control: Prioritize physical and engineering controls over personal protective equipment (PPE) alone, ensuring extraction systems are regularly tested and maintained.
  • Appropriate Health Surveillance: Implement statutory health surveillance programs managed by competent professionals to detect early signs of occupational asthma or dermatitis.
  • Staff Training: Provide thorough, task-specific training so employees understand the hazards of the materials they handle and know how to operate safety controls correctly.

For organizations looking to elevate their safety standards and ensure management teams are fully versed in statutory requirements, comprehensive training solutions are vital. Professional guidance and accredited safety courses can be accessed through Abertay Training at https://www.abertaytraining.co.uk