Case study: Sainsbury's bakery

Sam, 24, started working in the in-store bakery at Sainsbury’s five years ago. He first noticed that his breathing was becoming heavy when he was cycling to work, he was also wheezing and had an irritating cough. His GP diagnosed bronchitis and gave him an inhaler. It was not thought to be related to work at the time, however Sam noticed that his symptoms got better when he was away from work and worse after returning.

The company’s occupational health surveillance programme identified that he might have occupational asthma, and as a result a number of pro-active measures were taken. Through a telephone conversation with an Occupational Health Adviser (OHA), blood tests and a visit to a respiratory specialist it was identified that Sam was allergic to flour. The specialist felt that the evidence strongly suggested that Sam had occupational asthma and confirmed this with some breathing tests.

Once the cause of his symptoms had been identified Sam agreed to be transferred to an alternative position outside the bakery. ‘I was very relieved that a cause had been found for my wheezing and that it wouldn’t get worse,’ says Sam. ‘I have had no problems since and my health has improved an enormous amount.’

Shortly after he left the bakery, the importance of procedures to reduce dust was made clear to both bakers and their managers. The situation has improved significantly and in many bakeries ‘totally enclosed’ equipment is now being installed on a rolling basis.