Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to (a) ensure that ambient air pollution is treated as an occupational health issue and (b) adopt a workplace exposure limit for diesel engine exhaust emissions.

The Government has published a Clean Air Strategy that sets out actions to meet our statutory obligations to reduce emissions of the main pollutants by 2020 and 2030. In the Strategy we committed to working with health professionals to develop a better understanding and awareness of health impacts, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We have also published updated appraisal tools and accompanying guidance to enable the health impacts of air pollution to be considered in every relevant policy decision that is made.

HSE is the regulator for work related health and safety in Great Britain; it does not regulate environmental exposures. HSE has no plans to treat ambient air pollution as an occupational health issue. Exposures to substances that are hazardous to health caused by a work activity, including airborne contaminants, are already covered by a robust regulatory framework that includes the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002.

A recent amendment to the EU Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive has introduced a binding occupational exposure limit value for diesel engine exhaust emissions (DEEEs). Member States have until 21 February 2023 to implement the limit, unless the activity is underground mining or tunnel construction in which case the date for implementation is 21 February 2026. In the UK, binding and other occupational exposure limit values are implemented as Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs). WELs already exist for some substances which are also components of DEEEs such as nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide.