Revolutionary new Actis product plays key role in fight against workplace dust as HSE rolls out its Dust Kills campaign
A three-month campaign run by the Health and Safety Executive to raise awareness of lung diseases and mortality caused by workplace dust is being backed by insulation specialist Actis, whose products are famously irritant-free.
The Dust Kills campaign, which runs from May to July, is aimed at protecting workers from the long-term effects of dust inhalation, including premature death.
Its hard-hitting slogan is aimed at hammering the message home to employers.
“Every year we see construction workers die from diseases caused or made worse by their work. This is unacceptable in the 21st century, when occupational lung disease is preventable,” says HSE’s chief inspector of construction, Michael Thomas.
“We are urging employers and workers to take the necessary precautions today to protect their long-term lung health, to avoid them and their families suffering from the devastating impact that can result.”
Using power tools, sweeping and working with products such as gypsum and wood are among activities which can be extremely harmful, without protection, say HSE experts.
Inspections will focus on dust control, checking employers and workers know the risks, with inspectors checking control measures in place to protect workers from inhaling construction dusts including wood dust.
Insulation specialist Actis says one change which could help is to switch from using traditional, solid insulation products which create dust when cut to those which generate no irritants or dust whatsoever.
And the latest piece in Actis’ dust-free armoury is a two-in-one reflective insulation with an integrated vapour barrier which will enable builders and roofers to reduce the number of steps required to achieve an impressive U-value as well as airtightness in roofs.
The revolutionary technology at the core of its new Eolis HC ensures installation is not only twice as quick as traditional alternatives, but will also transform the loft and barn conversion sector.
It removes the need to cut insulation between each rafter, with all the tricky and dusty cutting that entails if using PIR board, thanks to the fact that while it is thin enough to be used in low headspace zones it also offers excellent thermal performance.
Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper explained: “The beauty of this new technology is that it removes the time-consuming annoyance of cutting insulation to fit between timbers. It eliminates an entire step in the process. In a pitched roof it’s designed to work with a high or low resistance underlay. You just lay the Eolis HC across the warm side of the structure and cover it with rigid insulation and plasterboard or, to save even more time, use insulated plasterboard for the final finish.
The Triplex technology on which Eolis HC is based is created from a number of layers of reflective films, each separated by a thin layer of fibre, trapping air between each section, thus boosting thermal performance.
Eolis HC is the first major product to be launched by Actis in a decade – with its existing Hybrid range also offering a clean, easy and dust free way of counteracting thermal bridging. The range includes flexible honeycomb insulation Hybris, insulating vapour control and breather membranes HControl Hybrid, BoostR Hybrid and BoostR Hybrid Roof.
Many builders say the dust-free nature of the products are the number one reason they choose them.
A man whose coach house renovation was the subject of a George Clarke TV programme chose Actis in part because of its cleanliness.
Adrian Neaves explained: “I chose Actis rather than any other form of insulation for a number of reasons. One is the U-value, which is excellent. And I wanted it to be quick, clean, and easy to install. I didn’t need to wear a mask as there was no dust, and it was easy to cut and fit.”
And Northamptonshire builder Chris Brooks, who has been using Actis products for nigh on two decades, says: “It’s incredibly clean and there’s no dust. I always love it when an architect specifies Actis. And in fact, if they specified PIR board instead I’d encourage them to look at the benefits of Actis. It’s so much nicer to use when you’re installing it.”
The fact that there’s no need for specialist PPE or masks and it only requires a saw or a hand operated cutter to trim it are some of the reasons builders return to Actis again and again.
The HSE campaign focuses on respiratory risks and occupational lung disease and looks at the measures businesses can take to protect their workers’ lungs from certain materials.