Rank: New forum user 
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We are aware that the HSAW Act 1974 protects people from hazards in the work place and depending on the location is enforced by over twenty different agencies. However no agency has responsibility for my work place.
My employer does not fit cabin air filters to my work place which is the cab of a Mercedes Sprinter.
There is no legal requirement to fit filters and therefore no risk is percieved and no risk assessment will be made. Cabin air filters stop 100% of pollen and 90% of other pollutants. Pollen is a trigger of asthma and hayfever. A driver suffering the symptoms of hayfever (coughing,sneezing,sore watery eyes etc.) has the same diminished capability of a driver with a blood alcohol limit of 0.5 https://www.mumc.nl/en/actueel/nieuws/hay-fever-affects-driving-ability putting everyone at risk. It is legally permitted that my employer make a reasonable management request for me to drive this vehicle which is a risk to my health. I will be dismissed if I refuse the request. I would be interested in your comments. Regards Wheezy :)
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: Wheezy  We are aware that the HSAW Act 1974 protects people from hazards in the work place and depending on the location is enforced by over twenty different agencies. However no agency has responsibility for my work place.
My employer does not fit cabin air filters to my work place which is the cab of a Mercedes Sprinter.
There is no legal requirement to fit filters and therefore no risk is percieved and no risk assessment will be made. Cabin air filters stop 100% of pollen and 90% of other pollutants. Pollen is a trigger of asthma and hayfever. A driver suffering the symptoms of hayfever (coughing,sneezing,sore watery eyes etc.) has the same diminished capability of a driver with a blood alcohol limit of 0.5 https://www.mumc.nl/en/actueel/nieuws/hay-fever-affects-driving-ability putting everyone at risk. It is legally permitted that my employer make a reasonable management request for me to drive this vehicle which is a risk to my health. I will be dismissed if I refuse the request. I would be interested in your comments. Regards Wheezy :)
The Mercedes Sprinter has a pollen filter and has done since 1995 so unless you're driving a VERY old model, i don't see what the problem is, or what else your employer can do about it? And even if your employer did somehow manage to make the cab of your van into some sort of airtight sealed bubble, what happens when you get out of the van? As an athsmatic and a mild hayfever sufferer i know that one "exposure" can set me off all day so you could be "set off" outside and then spend all day wheezing and sneezing in your bubble anyway.
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Rank: New forum user
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Thank you for your comment Stern. However you are wrong. While Mercedes recommend fitting the filter it is only standard if A/C is fitted. If A/C is not fitted the filter is optional. I have purchased the filter but my employer will not allow it to be fitted. The pollution levels inside a vehicle are more than six times higher than that experienced by pedestrians. The exhaust from the vehicle in front enters the air intake and out through the air vents unfiltered into my lungs. I would like to prevent that happening. A filter would prevent that happening. I'm sorry you suffer from the symptoms of asthma and hayfever and I'm sure you would do anything to avoid exposure to triggers such as pollen. I recommend you check the filter in your vehicle if you drive.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: Wheezy Thank you for your comment Stern. However you are wrong. While Mercedes recommend fitting the filter it is only standard if A/C is fitted. If A/C is not fitted the filter is optional. I have purchased the filter but my employer will not allow it to be fitted. The pollution levels inside a vehicle are more than six times higher than that experienced by pedestrians. The exhaust from the vehicle in front enters the air intake and out through the air vents unfiltered into my lungs. I would like to prevent that happening. A filter would prevent that happening. I'm sorry you suffer from the symptoms of asthma and hayfever and I'm sure you would do anything to avoid exposure to triggers such as pollen. I recommend you check the filter in your vehicle if you drive.
To be honest, during the summer i take an over the counter (50p a box) one-a-day hayfever ablet which does the trick and i take an inhaler each morning so neither condition really affects my day-to-day life. If those don't work for you then i'd consier speaking to your GP. I have a mate who used to have terrible alergies which nothing could shift. He was eventually prescrived a nasal spray and now has no issues at all. So far as pollution levels in the cab, that's not something i've ever heard but i won't disagree with you. Durely this is something faced by the drivers of pretty much any vehicle though? So far as the filter goes, if you've bought it then why not just fit it yourself? It's a 2 minute job. I know you shouldn't have to but it would solve the issue.
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Rank: New forum user
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Thanks again Stern. I don't have hayfever but I'm sure some of my thousands of work collegues do. The filter only takes 30 seconds to fit but as I said my employer will not allow me to fit it. They regard it as tampering. The majority of drivers are protected. Most are unaware they exist. 90% of vehicles have filters fitted. Mine does not. Seatbelts and motorcycle helmets have legislation requiring them to be fitted. They are visible to everyone. Filters have no legislation and they are hidden. They save lives. If these levels of pollution would not be tolerated in most workplaces like an office and would rightly be subject to enforcement by some agency under the HSAW Act 1974 why is it legal and acceptable in my workplace ? This is an occupational health forum open to discussion. Is there any justification for this ?
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Rank: Forum user
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ask for the risk assessment? ask why not? sounds like there is a concern that you are trying to set a precident in the way in which you are writing your questions, and as such they may be concerned as to where it is trying to go next. as such, if the manufacturer says it is fine, then the issue is about the manufacturer's assessment that there is no need to have a filter. it seems sensible to be able to have free flowing air rather than air that goes via a filter that may not be replaced in line with manufacturer's requirements, and as such if it's not there then it doesn't need to be maintained, which is a logical thought process. with aircon, the issue would be stopping ingress of dirt into system, needing cleaning out, both water/dust build up and mold. i am aware there are various air con cleaning kits you can use to disinfect/give a car a relatively "new car smell", if your concern is dust - blow it out. antogonistic questioning however isn't going to give a positive response, collaboration is where you want to get to. if not, look for a job elesewhere and move to somewhere you can get on with a different team.
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