HJ Enthoven, the UK’s leading recycler of lead-acid batteries and producer of refined lead and alloys, has successfully implemented a new bespoke communications solution that has been designed to help protect workers from lead exposure within a lead-processing environment. The solution was developed for HJ Enthoven in collaboration with the automated communications specialists, ANT Telecom, and Safer Hearing, a specialist in hearing protection and communication headsets used in hazardous environments.
HJ Enthoven maintains an outstanding Health and Safety record and it complies with all the relevant industry regulations. This includes the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 (CLAW) and the guidance from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on occupational exposure. As part of its ongoing commitment to continually improve employee wellbeing, it embarked on this initiative with ANT Telecom and Safer Hearing to further reduce lead exposure within its business.
Therefore, 28 custom headsets have been designed, developed and deployed, enabling maintenance staff to communicate clearly without needing to remove or adjust personal protective equipment (PPE). This new solution enables HJ Enthoven to address a common, industry-wide operational and safety challenge that all lead processors face: reducing lead-exposure more effectively.
Reducing lead exposure
Prior to using the new custom designed headsets, HJ Enthoven used an existing DECT communications system (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) with handsets in place to support teams across the site. However, for employees working in areas where airborne lead particles may be present, routine communication continued to cause challenges. The reason for this, for example, is because workers are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including visors and respiratory protection, to minimise exposure to lead dust. In practice, however, employees often needed to lift or remove their visors in order to make or receive telephone calls and/or speak to colleagues. This briefly exposed them to contaminated air.
Lead exposure remains a significant workplace health concern. According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), more than 5,000 workers in Great Britain are currently under medical surveillance for lead exposure, particularly in industries such as smelting, recycling and battery manufacturing. Determined to further address this industry-wide problem for its employees, HJ Enthoven partnered with ANT Telecom and Safer Hearing to develop a custom headset solution that integrates with HJ Enthoven’s existing DECT phones, while remaining fully compatible with the PPE used by workers. The new communication solution enables staff to communicate clearly without needing to remove or adjust their protective equipment so that their protection is not compromised. 28 units have now being deployed and used by HJ Enthoven’s maintenance team.
Since implementation, HJ Enthoven has observed a notable reduction in blood lead levels among its maintenance staff. In addition, this approach demonstrates the effectiveness of combining engineering controls with enhancements and improvements to communication practices.
Carly Henman of HJ Enthoven said, “Communication is essential for our teams, but we realised that the simple act of taking a phone call could mean people lifting their visors and potentially exposing themselves to lead particles in the air. We didn’t want to accept that as unavoidable. By working closely with ANT Telecom and Safer Hearing, we were able to find a practical solution that allows our teams to communicate without compromising their PPE.”
Tim Booth, specialist advisor at Safer Hearing adds, “In hazardous environments, communication equipment has to work alongside personal protective equipment — not against it. This project was about designing a solution that enabled workers to stay fully protected while still communicating clearly and safely.”
Klaus Allion, Managing Director, ANT Telecom concludes, “HJ Enthoven never gave up on finding a way to solve this challenge. It would have been easy to accept the limitations of the environment, but instead they kept pushing to find a better approach. By combining their operational insight with specialist expertise from Safer Hearing and communications integration from ANT Telecom, we delivered a solution that works in real-world conditions.”
The success of the maintenance team rollout has already prompted interest from other departments across the site. HJ Enthoven is exploring how similar PPE-compatible communication solutions could be extended to additional operational areas.
