This is a very real possibility for firms that fail to comply with UK Health and Safety law.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspectors have the power to issue Prohibition Notices under Section 22 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 ‘if s/he is of the opinion that an activity carried on (or likely to be carried on) by or under the control of that person involves (or will involve) a risk of serious personal injury.’

The HSE’s 2022/23 annual report states that ‘2000 notices prohibiting work activity placing people at risk of death/serious injury’ were issued out of a total of 8000 notices issued during that year. Details of all Prohibition Notices issued are publicly available on the HSE website – there were 393 Prohibition Notices issued in relation to contravening Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations between 2019 and 2023.

Jo Morris, Commercial Director for BTMA member Filtermist Limited, comments “The HSE has significant powers to ensure British manufacturers comply with legislation designed to ensure workplaces are safe.

“Inspectors are currently undertaking another metalworking fluids inspection programme as results from the last inspections highlighted three key areas where the HSE would like to see improvements:

1.       Effective local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is still not being fitted to all CNC machines
2.       Fluid quality checks are not consistently being undertaken
3.       Health surveillance should be implemented to monitor for asthma and dermatitis

“We have received an increase in enquiries off the back of this campaign, but in reality HSE Inspectors can visit British manufacturers for any number of reasons, and they are quite within their rights to look at control measures for all types of risk whilst on site.

“As a manufacturer ourselves, we understand that the last thing any business wants is production downtime – whatever the reason. Filtermist can make sure that effective control measures for airborne oil mist particles are one less thing for duty holders to worry about.”

Find out more about the current HSE inspection programme by visiting the Metalworking Fluids Workright website, or contact our Oil Mist team to discuss your LEV requirements.

Filtermist has more than 50 years’ experience in ensuring UK manufacturers have the best LEV extraction solution possible for their specific requirements. Don’t let your LEV be the reason your production is stopped. Contact Filtermist's specialist oil mist team team today by emailing sales@filtermist.com or calling 01952 290500.