HSE Work Plan 2019-20: Occupational Lung Disease
This HSE Operational Guidance document formed part of a major inspection programme targeting occupational lung disease caused by exposure to asthmagens, carcinogens and respirable crystalline silica (RCS) within manufacturing industries.
The work plan was developed to help HSE inspectors assess whether employers were adequately controlling worker exposure to substances capable of causing serious respiratory disease, including occupational asthma, silicosis, occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis (OHP) and occupational cancer.
The inspection programme focused on sectors including:
- Food manufacture
- Woodworking
- Welding and fabrication
- Metalworking fluids
- Shipbuilding and repair
- Foundries and molten metals
- Concrete products
- Stone working
- Brick and tile manufacture
- Ceramics
- Rubber manufacturing
The guidance provides detailed insight into:
- What inspectors were instructed to examine
- Common exposure-control failures
- Expected standards of compliance
- Typical enforcement expectations
- Matters of Potential Major Concern (MPMC)
- Occupational lung disease priorities
This resource is relevant to:
- Occupational Hygienists
- LEV Designers
- P601 TExT Engineers
- LEV Consultants
- Health & Safety Professionals
- Manufacturing Managers
- Duty Holders
- Process Engineers
Source Document
View the HSE guidance here:
Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Document Type: Operational Guidance / Inspection Work Plan
Status: HSE Inspection Guidance (still highly relevant)
Last reviewed by LEVCentral: June 2026
LEVCentral Expert Commentary
Few HSE documents provide a clearer insight into regulatory expectations than the Occupational Lung Disease Work Plans.
Whilst originally published for the 2019–20 inspection programme, the underlying principles remain highly relevant today. In practice, many of the inspection priorities subsequently reappeared within later HSE interventions covering welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust and woodworking industries.
One of the most valuable aspects of the document is that it moves beyond technical exposure control and focuses heavily on management systems. Inspectors were instructed not only to assess whether hazardous substances were present, but also whether employers had effective arrangements for:
- Risk assessment
- COSHH compliance
- LEV maintenance
- Exposure monitoring
- Health surveillance
- Training and supervision
- Competent advice
- Ongoing performance verification
The work plan identified occupational lung disease as a major national health issue, citing approximately 12,000 deaths per year and 18,000 new cases annually caused or worsened by workplace exposures.
For LEV professionals, the document provides a particularly useful guide to the types of deficiencies that attract HSE attention. Throughout the sector-specific appendices, inspectors are directed to examine whether:
- LEV systems are provided where required
- Controls are used correctly
- Controls are maintained
- TExT examinations are current
- Operators understand the risks
- Exposure is genuinely controlled
A recurring theme is that compliance cannot be demonstrated simply by installing equipment. Employers must be able to show that controls remain effective throughout the life of the process.
From a LEVCentral perspective, this document strongly supports the principle of defensible exposure control. Effective worker protection requires a combination of competent design, commissioning, testing, maintenance, supervision and governance.
Key Learning Points
HSE Focuses on Management Systems
The inspection programme examined not only engineering controls but also the systems used to manage occupational health risks.
Occupational Lung Disease Remains a Major Problem
Occupational lung disease continues to be one of the leading causes of work-related death and ill health in Great Britain.
LEV Performance Must Be Demonstrable
Employers must be able to show that exposure controls are effective and properly maintained.
Health Surveillance Is Critical
Where workers are exposed to asthmagens, carcinogens or silica, health surveillance often forms an important part of the overall control strategy.
Further Resources
- HSE Work Plan 2021–22: Occupational Lung Disease in the Fabricated Metal Sector
- UKLA / HSE Good Practice Guide for Safe Handling and Disposal of Metalworking Fluids
- RR683 – Effective Control of Gas Shielded Arc Welding Fume
- APPG Report – Improving Silicosis Outcomes in the UK
- HSG258 – Controlling Airborne Contaminants at Work
- HSE Work-Related Lung Disease Portal
Recommended Learning
- P601 Thorough Examination and Testing of LEV Systems
- P602 LEV Design Principles
- P600 Methods for Testing Effectiveness of LEV
- P604 LEV Performance Evaluation and Management
- M200 Basic Principles of Occupational Hygiene
- M501 Measurement of Hazardous Substances
- M505 Control of Hazardous Substance
- M507 Health Effects of Hazardous Substances
