Inhalation of Mud and Dust Particles

The Flood Disaster in Queensland is now entering the cleanup and recovery phase. Water levels are receding, including around the Wesley Hospital. Full access to the hospital should be available from Monday 17 January. Full medical services will commence on this date.

Our team here are committed to supporting people on their recovery journey. We anticipate we will need to work with our local community in the days and months ahead after this emergency.

Detailed information on road systems, cleaning support, local volunteers, and rapid damage assessment teams are being updated on the Brisbane City Council website.

Adverse working environment

Cleanup workers are currently working in adverse environments containing mud and dust, soil mixed with pesticides, rodents, insects, snakes and mosquitoes.

They have to work on slippery surfaces, dingy and poorly ventilated areas, places full of odds and ends, and sites with uneven ground surface. Working in these adverse environments increases the chance of getting hurt by slipping, bumping and spraining themselves, and contracting infectious diseases.

Inhalation of dirt and dust containing flea and rodent excrement or exposure of wounds to such dirt and dust can cause both infective and non-infective chest and skin complications. Flea, tick and mosquito bites also spread diseases.

Chest complications that need to be monitored include:

1.    Inhalation of dust and mud : acute and chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, inhalational pneumonia

2.    Chest infections : bacterial, viral, fungal, rickettsiae, water-borne, pest-borne. More unusual pathogens include Acinetobacter species, Ochrabactrum anthropi, and ‘atypical’ Mycobacterium species.

3.    ‘Occupational asthma’ : airway wheezing and cough following exposure to dust, chemicals and pesticides, strenuous physical activity, psychological stress

4.    Extrinsic allergic alveolitis : intense inflammatory condition of the lung, with multiple triggers, including rodent urine, dirt/dusts and grasses, chemical pesticides

Pest-borne diseases include Dengue Fever, Typhus, Leptospirosis and Malaria.

Medical therapy is recommended for people suspected of developing any of these complications.

Please contact your local GP, hospital emergency department or medical specialist if you are concerned.

Precautionary and control measures

•    Disinfestation of pests/fleas should be carried out

•    Apply flea or mosquito repellent on clothing or exposed skin as necessary

•    Avoid as far as possible direct skin contact with anything that may contain pathogens, e.g. the bodies and excrement of pests and soiled water

•    Wounds should be covered with water-proof sterilized dressing

•    Wear long-sleeved clothing and put on personal protective equipment such as plastic gloves, boots, aprons, protective respirators, etc.

•    Strictly observe personal hygiene

Precautionary and control measures

Attack by rodents – use long pliers to fetch rodents caught.

Attack by wasps – cover your whole body by wearing thick long-sleeved overalls, gloves and beekeeper’s veil. People not taking part in the operation should stay away from the site under disinfestation or remain indoors.

Attack by mosquitoes – apply mosquito repellent on the skin. Fact sheet on mosquitoes and snakes available from the local council.

Manual handling operations

As workers will need to carry a lot of equipment to work in different places throughout Brisbane and Queensland, it is inevitable that they frequently need to lift heavy objects.

Attention should therefore be drawn to the fact that they are liable to sustaining physical injury if the ways they adopt in manual handling operations are improper.

Risk factors contributing to greater chances of workers sustaining injury may include the following examples:

•    lifting objects with a poor posture, e.g. bending the body or twisting the back

•    using force in a rapid manner

•    making certain movements over a long period of time or repeating the same movements many times

•    moving an object which is too heavy or with a smooth surface

•    inadequate physical strength of the worker

•    uneven, slippery or irregular ground surface and narrow space

Fact sheet on emptying your bins.

Precautionary and control measures

Before commencing a manual handling operation, assessment should be made to take into account all risk factors. Appropriate precautionary measures should be taken, including:

•    using suitable containers to carry the equipment and pesticides

•    using handcarts

•    lifting heavy objects by more than one worker

•    lifting heavy objects with a correct posture