We take a quick look at the rubber industry’s health and safety history, then explain what’s important to know today.
Rubber has proved indispensable since its industrial advent two hundred years ago. However, the history of rubber manufacturing is also significant in demonstrating how improvements in working conditions have saved lives. Here, we take a quick look at this history, then explain what you need to know to ensure safety in the rubber industry today.
About rubber
Rubber is a durable material that can withstand stretching. Natural rubber is produced by harvesting latex from rubber trees, whereas synthetic rubber is derived from petrochemicals. In 2023, 28.8 million tonnes of rubber were produced globally, with three quarters of this synthetic. Rubber manufacturing generally comprises:
- raw materials handling, weighing and mixing
- milling
- extruding and calendaring
- component assembly and building
- curing or vulcanizing
- inspection and finishing
- storage and dispatch
Tyres are the single leading global end use of rubber. However, rubber’s versatility means that it has a wide range of industrial and domestic applications, from footwear and gloves to sealants and tubing.
Rubber dust and fumes are the primary health concerns in the modern rubber industry. Rubber dust is released when ingredients are handled, weighed, added to or mixed with other natural or synthetic rubber constituents. Fumes also arise from mixing, milling, and blending processes, including the combining of rubber constituents with chemicals, and the conversion of final blends into finished products.
A history of health and safety in the rubber industry
- In the early nineteenth century, a new way to treat natural rubber was discovered (vulcanisation), rendering it suitable for a number of uses. Rubber production swiftly became industrial in scale. However, during the late Victorian era, Factory Inspectors (one of the first manifestations of UK health and safety law), became concerned about incidences of disease in rubber works.
- Synthetic rubber was then developed in the 1930s. However, between 1936 and 1951, deaths from bladder cancer among British rubber industry workers were twice that of the general population. The cause was identified as beta naphthylamine, a contaminant in one of the chemicals added to rubber during processing. The chemical was withdrawn from sale in 1949, although it is implied that the cancer risk was known earlier. After 1949, excess bladder tumours disappeared.
- However, researchers noticed that rates of two different cancers, stomach and lung cancer, were still higher in rubber workers. The stomach cancers were thought to be related to exposure to rubber dust and the lung cancers to fume exposure. In 1986, legally binding exposure limits for rubber dust and fume were introduced in the UK. A study was commissioned to determine the effects of the exposure limits, and it was announced in 2006 that mortality and cancer incidence in rubber industry workers were no longer above normal levels.
What you need to know now
- The UK Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) write that the rubber industry is an example of how improvements in working conditions can combat ill health. However, they also warn that – with the exception of the early beta naphthylamine-containing chemical – cancer-causing agents have not been eliminated, so workplaces must remain vigilant. Because no one carcinogen can be singled out as increasing cancer risk, the whole rubber manufacturing industry is classified as carcinogenic (Group 1). In addition to bladder, lung, and stomach cancers, rubber has been associated with leukaemia, lymphoma, and oesophagus, larynx, and prostate cancers.
- Exposure limits are now known as Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) and are still legally binding. You can view current WELs here. For rubber dust, concentrations in air cannot exceed 6 mg/m3 over an eight-hour period, whereas rubber fume concentrations must remain below 0.6 mg/m3. The Rubber Industry Advisory Committee (RUBIAC) state that levels of 50% of the WELs are possible – and desirable. Cura Terrae’s Workplace Air Monitoring service can give you peace of mind that WELs are not exceeded in your workplace and that you are complying with all the relevant legislation.
- The most important legislation regarding dangerous materials such as rubber dust and fumes are the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) R WELs fall under COSHH. In their entirety, the COSHH regulations require employers to assess and address the risks posed by hazardous substances in their workplace. Ideally, exposure is prevented. If this is not possible, control measures should be implemented. Effective use and maintenance of control measures occupy their own regulations, along with training for employees. Cura Terrae can support you with the COSHH process (see below).
Examples of rubber dust and fume controls
The UK HSE publication SAFE to BREATHE: Dust and fume control in the rubber industry gives a comprehensive overview of selecting appropriate control measures. Here are four examples:
- Consider using less hazardous forms of substances. For example, dust-suppressed materials like pellets, flakes, oil-coated powders and polymer-bound chemicals.
- If practical, isolate processes from workers. Installation of enclosed and automated bag and powder handling plant with direct feed to process machines eliminates the need to handle paper sacks, bins, and other receptacles.
- Strict process control can significantly reduce fume levels. For example, avoidance of temperatures in excess of procedure requirements and/or rapid cooling following processing.
- Rubber dust and fume can be controlled by local exhaust ventilation (LEV). Emissions are captured as near to the point of their generation as possible. However, LEV systems must be checked regularly and maintained to a high standard.
How Cura Terrae can help
We are accredited by the British Occupational Hygiene Society and have ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) certification. Whether you’re in the rubber manufacturing industry, or any other sector that handles hazardous substances, our team of industry experts can assist you with:
- Completing your COSHH Risk Assessment.
- Determining suitable controls to reduce risks from dangerous materials.
- Workplace Air Monitoring to confirm that your controls are effective.
- Workplace Air Monitoring to avoid exceedance of Workplace Exposure Limits.
- Testing Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) controls to ensure their functioning.
- Tailored Health and Safety Awareness Training for your workforce.
