"People need to develop respect for building dust" - ELECTROSTAR/starmix warns against carelessness
Renovation and asbestos wave
Stuttgart/Ebersbach, 14.03.2024 – Respiratory diseases caused by construction dust top the list of fatal occupational diseases of the BG BAU. However, it is not only the still widespread asbestos fibers that are hazardous to health; other types of dust can also cause serious illnesses. Florenz Stetter, Head of Product Management at ELECTROSTAR/starmix, and Norbert Kluger, Head of the Material Hazards Department at BG BAU, call for a new awareness of the dangers of construction dust.
Picture: Florenz Stetter, Head of Product Management at ELECTROSTAR/starmix. Source: ELECTROSTAR GmbH
Picture: Norbert Kluger, Head of the Material Hazards Department at BG BAU. Source: private
"The big problem with construction dust is that it is perceived by both professionals and laypeople as a normal side effect of construction work. There is often a lack of awareness that even supposedly 'normal' construction dust can be carcinogenic," says Norbert Kluger. This is mainly due to the quartz dust contained in construction dust, which is carcinogenic. But other dusts, such as wood dust, can also cause serious damage to health. In addition, asbestos fibers can potentially be present in all buildings constructed before the ban on asbestos in October 1993. "The problem with asbestos is that around 39 million tons of asbestos-containing materials have been used over its entire service life. It is estimated that around 35 million tons of this is still present in buildings," says Norbert Kluger and adds: "Another problem with asbestos is that it can be present in many building materials: Tile adhesives, floor coverings, roofing membranes, putty, flooring adhesives.
Construction industry and equipment manufacturers are challenged
Florenz Stetter is only seeing a slow change of heart in the construction and trades sector: "For older people in particular, dust is simply part of working on building sites and in workshops. They pass this on to the next generation, without any ill intentions of course. As a result, knowledge about the dangers of construction dust is slow to catch on." Both Florenz Stetter and Norbert Kluger believe that the partners in the construction industry and the developers of vacuum cleaners and dust extractors have a role to play. On the one hand, construction companies need to provide more comprehensive information about the dangers of construction dust and provide suitable low-dust techniques and equipment. But Florenz Stetter also believes that machine manufacturers have a duty: "Manufacturers must make occupational health and safety as easy as possible for users. One example: machines from different manufacturers are often used on a construction site and their connections do not match. All too often, effective dust extraction is not used because the right adapter is not to hand. Or improvised connections are created with adhesive tape, which are of course not sufficient. This is where we need to take a cross-manufacturer approach to eliminate these obstacles."
About ELECTROSTAR GmbH/starmix - a piece of German industrial history that is being continued with great success in the 21st century. The industrious Swabians invented the warm air hand dryer and achieved world renown with the starmix food processor. Today, ELECTROSTAR GmbH, which has been part of the Algo Group since 2007, stands for innovative technologies, outstanding quality and uncompromising customer orientation. The company sells a wide range of powerful vacuum cleaners for trade, commerce and industry, modern warm air and high-speed hand and hair dryers and has an extensive hospitality product range. Since the acquisition of Haaga Kehrsysteme GmbH in 2012, the product range has also included innovative sweepers. ELECTROSTAR/starmix and Haaga Kehrsysteme merged in 2020. In 2021, the merger with PRODUCTEERS took place under the ELECTROSTAR umbrella. The group of companies employs around 300 people at its sites in Ebersbach and Shanghai and achieved a consolidated turnover of around 69 million euros in 2022.
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Philipp Nisster echolot pr GmbH & Co. KG Fon: 0159 01929655 nisster@echolot-pr.de www.echolot-pr.de | |
Fr. Gwendi Harer Electrostar GmbH Hans-Zinser Str. 1-3 73061 Ebersbach Fon: +49 7163 9988-011 gwendi.harer@starmix.de www.starmix.de |