Bakers

Baker's asthma and rhinitis are among the most frequent occupational respiratory disorders. The problem ingredients are alpha-amylase / other enzyme additives, wheat flour, rye flour, soy bean flour. Workers in kitchens, flour mills and bakeries are at risk.

As with most causative agents, the risk of occupational asthma is increased as the level of exposure is increased. Dust clouds arise from sieving, brushing, throwing flour, and from moving / disposing bags. To reduce the exposure start up mixers on slow speed until wet and dry ingredients are combined and use dredgers or sprinklers for dusting. Try to avoid sweeping and the use of compressed air when cleaning, instead use wet methods and vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters.

Dust Extraction and respiratory protective equipment (RPE) can also be used for particularly dusty tasks.

References

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Related pages

			Farmers
			Shield

Links

	HSE advice for bakers
Information and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (UK) for Bakers.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/bakers.htm

	Information for Bakers on the Haz-Map Database of Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Information on high risk job tasks for bakers
http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hazmap_generic?tbl=TblJobs&id=57

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