The impact of the organic waste industry from research on workers' exposure to bioaerosols: Adoption of technical guidance.
Submitting Institution
Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityUnit of Assessment
Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and PharmacySummary Impact Type
EnvironmentalResearch Subject Area(s)
Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Summary of the impact
This case study is an illustrative example of the immediate and interim
impact of our research with and for the organic waste industry.
Specifically, it deals with effective management of the risk to the health
of workers from exposure to bioaerosols. Led by Sykes, since 2006 a
portfolio of research (both publicly available academic studies and
confidential industrial reports) has been developed which led the
Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR) to commission a technical
guidance document for the composting industry in 2012. High-risk work
activities and potential for harm to workers' health were identified, and
recommendations on risk reduction strategies and good practice were made
which have been endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive.
[Throughout this Impact Case Study, references to the underpinning
research are numbered 1 to 6; sources to corroborate the impact are
numbered 7 to 16.]
Underpinning research
The programme of research that underpins this Impact Case Study has been
delivered by the Centre for Health, Safety and Environment at the Cardiff
School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University. Led by Sykes
(appointed in 1997 as a Lecturer — now the School's Director of
Enterprise), the team of researchers includes Jones K (appointed
in 1993 as a Senior Lecturer — now a Professor), Karani (appointed
in 1994 as a Reader — now a Professor), Belcher (appointed in 1986
as a Senior Lecturer-now the Director of Learning and Teaching), Allen
(appointed in 2007 as a Consultancy Assistant), Morris (appointed
in 1995 as a Senior Lecturer — now a Reader), and Wildsmith
(appointed in 1986 as a Senior Lecturer) who left the University in 2010.
The diversion of biodegradable waste from landfill is a major imperative
in developing a sustainable waste strategy, yet there are potential
occupational and public health risks from exposure to bioaerosols in the
vicinity of commercial composting activities. Preliminary research (by
Jones K) on inhalation of environmental dusts and airborne particles began
in the early 1990s and predates the timeframe for this case study. It led,
however, to an important study (also by Jones K, 3) on the cellular events
linked to exposure to a bronchial inhalation challenge amongst pigeon
breeders — an allergic pulmonary disease associated with exposure to
inhaled organic agents. With an experimental design using an established
protocol, the work showed empirically the hazardous nature of exposure to
aetiological agents on a chronic basis. It also acted as a springboard for
other empirical studies on allergenicity and respiratory conditions that
also inform this Impact Case Study about bioaerosols.
Building on other research concerned with the effects on respiratory
health of vehicle exhaust emissions (by Karani, 2), the occupational
health effects of air pollution in working environments linked directly to
the waste industry were advanced using real-time monitoring of volatile
organic compounds. Data-capture techniques were replicated later in
research with the composting industry that were able to accommodate
variable levels of airborne pollutants at different sampling locations for
different work-related functions.
Occupational health and safety research intended specifically for
industrial and professional end-users has resulted in a major contribution
to Clay's Handbook of Environmental Health (by Belcher and
Wildsmith). Now in its twentieth edition, it is considered the definitive
reference work for the environmental health practitioner. In the
eighteenth edition the chapters on `protection of persons', `plant and
systems' and `toxic and dangerous substances' (1) provide an applied focus
that has also informed the work of the Centre for Health, Safety and
Environment, and specifically the research with the composting sector.
Together, these studies provided the platform for the sustained
engagement with the composting industry upon which this Impact Case Study
is predicated. An initial scoping study led to a scientific position
statement by Sykes et al. (5) and identified knowledge gaps that
existed in technical understanding and regulatory arrangements — which in
turn compromised risk assessment and management of the potential risks
arising from the dispersal of bioaerosols. A clear programme of work was
set out for more focussed research into hazard characterisation, exposure
assessment techniques and an evaluation of the existing risk control and
mitigation measures.
The most significant contribution to the enhancement of occupational
health of waste management workers is the research that reports exposure
to dust, endotoxin and 03b2(1-3) glucan at four different composting sites
whilst fulfilling different work-related functions (4, 6). Endotoxin is a
potent respiratory irritant but is both difficult and expensive to
measure. The findings of this year-long research showed how concentration
of airborne dust particles, which is much easier and less costly to
measure, can be used as an indirect or proxy measure of endotoxin
concentration. This work also made explicit the high-risk activities
(e.g., manual sorting and screening of waste), seasonal variation in
airborne pollutants, and the efficacy of vehicle filtration and
air-handling systems.
References to the research
The underpinning research for this Impact Case Study has been published
in international peer-reviewed journals (2, 3, 5 and 6) characterised by
being esteemed outlets for the publication of leading-edge research,
peer-reviewed conference proceedings (4), and the leading industry
practitioner handbook (1). For specific journals, the impact factor (IF)
on 31st October 2013 is indicated, and, where known, the number
of citations by the same date is also included.
1. Belcher, P. and Wildsmith, J.D. (1999). Chapters 25-32. In S.
Battersby and W.H. Bassett (eds.) Clay's Handbook of Environmental
Health (18th ed., pp. 462-530). London: Routledge.
2. Burr, M., Karani, G., Davies, B., Holmes, B.A. and Williams K.L.
(2004). Effects on respiratory health of a reduction in air pollution from
vehicle exhaust emissions. Occupational and Environmental Medicine,
61, 212-218. DOI: 10.1136/oem.2002.003244 [IF: 3.215; Scopus
citations: 21]
3. Reynolds, S.P., Jones, K.P., Edwards, J.H. and Davies, B.H. (1993).
Inhalation challenge in pigeon breeder's disease: BAL fluid changes after
6 hours. European Respiratory Journal, 6, 467-476. [IF :
6.355; Scopus citations: 15]
4. Sykes, P., Allen, J.A., Wildsmith, J.D. and Jones, K.P. (2009). An
analysis of employee exposure to organic dust at large scale composting
facilities. Journal of Physics: Conference Series 151, 012064. DOI:
10.1088/1742-6596/151/1/012064 Available from http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-6596/151/1/012064
[Google Scholar citations: 3]
5. Sykes, P., Jones, K.P. and Wildsmith, J.D. (2007). Managing the
potential public health risks from bioaerosol liberation at commercial
composting sites in the UK: An analysis of the evidence base. Resources,
Conservation and Recycling, 52, 410-424. DOI:
10.1016/j.resconrec.2007.05.005 [5-Year IF: 2.889; Scopus citations: 15]
6. Sykes, P., Morris, R.H.K., Allen, J.A., Wildsmith, J.D. and Jones,
K.P. (2011). Worker exposure to dust, endotoxin and 03b2-(1-3) glucan at
four large-scale composting facilities in the UK. Waste Management,
31, 423-430. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2010.10.016 [5-Year IF: 2.926;
Scopus citations: 6]
Details of the impact
This case study is an example of `immediate impact' of our research that
has informed policy and services linked to the health and well-being of
composting workers. Specifically, the benefits to the industry are a
reduction of the risk of harm, improved working conditions and control
measures, enhanced prevention of illness and disease, and reduced criminal
and civil litigation. There has also been a heightened awareness of
related health risks. As a result, the medium and longer-term social and
economic impact will be fewer incidences of absence from work, gains in
productivity through more effective working arrangements, and reduced
statutory sick pay.
Composting is the recycling of organic waste such as vegetation and
foodstuffs. It is a sector that has experienced rapid recent growth in
order to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. According to the
Waste and Resources Action Programme, in 2012 there were 23 mechanical
biological treatment facilities in the UK and over 300 composting sites.
It is also known that there are a further 3000 sites that have exemptions
under environmental permitting rules. The Health and Safety Executive have
estimated that in 2006 across the UK there were more than 175,000 workers
employed in the waste and recycling services industry.
As a large-scale commercial activity composting is carried out either in
open windrows or enclosed systems and to encourage efficient composting
effective aeration is required. In open windrows this is achieved by
regular turning of the material which creates bioaerosols including human
allergens and pathogens which affect respiratory health and may cause
headaches, nausea and fatigue. In chronic cases bioaerosols can lead to
asthma, alveolitis, bronchitis, gastro-intestinal and skin disorders.
The trade body, the Renewable Energy Association, was formed in 2013 by
the merger of the AfOR and the Renewable Energy Association. It describes
itself as a "modern proactive not for profit organisation within the wider
waste industry" (http://www.organics-recycling.org.uk)
and has a membership of approximately 1,100 companies, organisations and
individuals. In 2012 AfOR published a guidance document for the sector, The
Health and Safety at Composting Sites: A Guide for Site Managers
(7). Based on his research (4, 5 and 6), Sykes was commissioned to write
chapters on composting and bioaerosols, control of substances hazardous to
health, health surveillance and personal protective equipment (13). As
AfOR makes clear, "This updated Guide has been written for site managers
and aims to impart sound practical advice regarding occupational health
and safety. It is intended that this new updated Guide will enable
managers to make employees aware of their legal obligations and to ensure
that appropriate on-site procedures are implemented" (8).
The Guide builds on a previous health and safety guide for composters,
which was published in 2004, and is endorsed by HM Inspector for the
Health and Safety Executive (7 and 10). LondonWaste, a large commercial
waste management company has also affirmed its support for the Guide:
"This guide will assist in promoting safe working conditions throughout
the biological waste industry" (7). There have already been impacts on the
professional practice in the composting industry (confidential reports),
and the management of an occupational hazard has improved (14, 15 and 16).
There are some specific illustrative examples of how our research (4, 5
and 6) has informed the recommendations contained in the Guide (13)
regarding the monitoring required to assess and evaluate workers' exposure
to compost organisms (p.28/29 and Appendix 1; 14, 15 and 16), use of
respiratory protective equipment (p.51), model procedures for
task-specific risk assessments (p.31), health surveillance (p.34), early
warning symptoms of bioaerosol exposure (p.18), introduction of risk zones
and workplace exposure limits (p.28), and evaluation of exposure to dust
as an indirect or proxy measure of harmful endotoxins (p.29). All of which
are informing the practice of the industry (14 and 15) in the way that was
anticipated by the British Occupational Hygiene Society when it commented
on one particular project it funded on vehicle cab drivers' exposure to
bioaerosols: "It is hoped the research will raise awareness and change
working practises within the composting industry and beyond, especially in
relation to the impact that poor practises have on operator exposure in
this working environment" (9, 14, 15 and 16).
The research and its impact continue to inform the sector through other
forms of industry engagement. Sykes is a member of the Chartered Institute
of Wastes Management's special interest groups on Food Waste Collection
and on Health and Safety, a member of the AfOR Health and Safety Committee
(13), a member of the Welsh Government's Health Impact Assessment Steering
Group for the Wales Waste Strategy, and an invited delegate and
contributor to
Environmental Agency workshops on bioaerosols from green-waste
composting. He has also disseminated our research through media
communication (e.g., Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio Sussex).
Sources to corroborate the impact
There are three main types of sources to corroborate the impact: the
industry guidance document that is derived from the underpinning research
(7-12); endorsement from organisations within the sector (13); and
testimonials from senior staff with responsibility for health and safety
and / or waste management in the composting sector (14-16).
- Association for Organic Recycling (2012). Health and safety at
composting sites. A guide for site managers (3rd ed.). London:
AfOR. ISBN 978-0-9547797-7-1
- Association for Organic Recycling (no date). AfOR working to expand
health and safety knowledge base. Available from: http://www.organicsrecycling.org.uk/page.php?article=2198andname=AfOR+Working+to+Ex
pand+Health+%26+Safety+Knowledge+Base
- British Occupational Hygiene Society (2008). Funding secured for
composting research. Available from: http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/general/news-in-brief-296
- An investigation of vehicle operators' exposure to dust and endotoxin
in the composting sector and an evaluation of current control measures.
Funded by the British Occupational Hygiene Society (£10,236) March 2008
- April 2009. Unpublished
- Health and Safety Executive (no date). Composting - Recycling
biodegradable waste. Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/composting.htm
- Letsrecycle.com (2012). Health and safety guide for composters issued,
27th September. Available from http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/compost/health-and-safety-guide-for-
composters-issued
- Technical Director, Renewable Energy Association. Written testimonial.
- Operations Manager, FCC Environmental, Wrexham Site. Unpublished
confidential report. Occupational Health Screening, assessment of
workers exposure to dust, endotoxin and viable organisms and development
of risk assessment and risk mitigation procedures for FCC Environmental
IVC facility Wrexham. Since January 2009, contract value £19,395 to
date, on-going.
- Operations and Health and Safety Manger, Cwm Environmental Ltd.
Written testimonial. Since February 2007, contract value £5,900 to date,
on-going.
- Landfill and Aftercare Officer, Cardiff City Council. Written
testimonial, January 2007 to date, on-going.