Professional cleaning companies should be aware that aerosol sprays, air fresheners, latex gloves and dry cleaning chemicals can be the cause of potentially fatal asthma attacks. These are just a few triggers that can affect businesses around the country and Asthma UK is calling on cleaning businesses and dry cleaners to participate in a brand new scheme called ‘Business Against Asthma’ to help support staff and local customers who have asthma and reduce risks in the workplace.
Over 5 million people have asthma in the UK including, on average, one in 11 of customers, clients or employees. With over 12 million working days lost to asthma every year, it can be a costly business. It’s also deadly serious with someone dying from the condition every seven hours. Things that aggravate asthma can be found in most workplaces, but professional cleaning companies in particular are at risk due to triggers including aerosol sprays, air fresheners, latex gloves and dry cleaning chemicals which contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
‘Business Against Asthma’ is easy to join and offers practical advice and support for cleaning companies and dry cleaners, including an Asthma UK visit to give more information about asthma, triggers and how to minimise them and a ‘Business Against Asthma’ certificate to display. Asthma UK’s chief executive, Neil Churchill, said: “Between 1500 and 3000 people in the UK develop occupational asthma each year. We hope this scheme will go some way towards helping businesses put vital measures in place to reduce triggers in the workplace, support staff and customers with asthma and to ultimately get these numbers down.”