Textiles and laundries

Where are the hazards?

Those working in the textile and laundry Industries and their ancillary functions can experience health problems due to breathing in various dusts, fibres or fumes, eg:

• chlorine, hypochlorite, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and filter powder etc in laundries and dry-cleaners
• laundry contaminated with asbestos
• textile process dust, eg cotton and wool
• reactive dyes, particularly without proper ventilation, for example when mixing or preparing dyes

What are the risks?

Textile workers can be at risk of occupational asthma and respiratory irritation from exposure to process dust. Laundry workers can be at risk of respiratory irritation from breathing fumes such as chlorine, hypochlorite, ammonia and sulphur dioxide.

How to control

Risks to health can be greatly reduced where exposure to fumes, dusts and airborne chemicals is controlled.

Where powder materials are being handled, care should be taken to ensure that people are not exposed to excessive levels of dust and appropriate respiratory protection should be provided and worn.