Woodworking Dust Control 

In 2022/23, the HSE carried out more than 1,000 woodworking inspections and found 78% of businesses were not compliant in protecting workers from respiratory sensitisers (primarily hardwood, softwood, and composite material’s dust). This resulted in 402 enforcement actions being taken by the HSE.

The main areas of concern identified by the HSE were:

Dry sweeping/compressed air Avoid dry sweeping and using compressed airlines when cleaning up as these will just create dust clouds and redistribute the dust. Use vacuum equipment that meets at least the dust class M (medium hazard) or preferably HEPA.

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Control wood dust at source as it is produced, and prevent it spreading into the workplace, using fixed LEV. LEV systems should:

• be subjected to regular statutory thorough examination & testing (each process/operation should be witnessed during the testing)
• have airflow indicators
• have inspection doors
• keep flexible ducting to a minimum & have earth bonding

Face fit testing LEV is not always the answer and sometimes RPE is required. Workers have varying sizes and shapes of faces, so a face ‘fit test’ is needed to ensure any tight-fitting respirator is effective for the individual worker. Facial hair and glasses tend to lift the respirator off the face and permit inward leakage of contaminated air.

Health Surveillance Woodworking employers have a legal duty to provide health surveillance as there is a disease associated with wood dust. Health surveillance is any activity which involves obtaining information about employees’ health and which helps protect employees from health risks at work. Health surveillance is necessary when:

1. 1. there is a disease associated with the substance in use (e.g. asthma, dermatitis, cancers).
   2. it is possible to detect the disease or adverse change and reduce the risk of further harm.
   3. the conditions in the workplace make it likely that the disease will occur.

Businesses should seek advice from an occupational health professional (doctor or nurse) who has the relevant skills, competence, and experience for health risks in woodworking. Your health surveillance programme should cover all your workers who might breathe in wood dust.

• You should assess workers’ respiratory health, ideally before exposure, but if not, then as soon as possible after exposure starts (e.g. within six weeks) to provide a baseline.
• You must have ongoing assessments at appropriate frequencies, usually annually, although more frequent assessments are appropriate for new workers.  Your occupational health professional can advise you on how frequently you should do this.
• Health surveillance should involve an appropriate questionnaire and the performance of spirometry.
• Occupational health professionals should interpret the heath surveillance results for both individuals and groups of similarly exposed workers, considering any previously available results.  This allows you to identify any need to revise your risk assessment, review exposure controls, and where necessary move workers to alternative roles.

In the following circumstances, an annual respiratory questionnaire and keeping a health record may be adequate:

• exposure to a potential respiratory sensitiser.
• only occasional exposure to a known respiratory sensitiser; or
• adequate control of exposure with no evidence of health problems at health surveillance (questionnaire and spirometry) over a representative time

Your responsible person could administer the questionnaire. You should always consult with your occupational health professional when making these decisions:

• You should ensure that your risk management system allows workers to report any symptoms that occur between planned health surveillance assessments.  This could be either to your responsible person or occupational health professional.
• You must keep a health record for each worker under health surveillance and encourage them to keep a copy of their results in case they change jobs.
• Your risk management system should ensure that concerns raised by employees are investigated and that any relevant sick leave data are considered.  This can help highlight cases of OA and any issues with working practices

Exposure limits

Both hardwood and softwood dusts have a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) which must not be exceeded.

• The WEL for hardwood dust is 3mg/m³ (based on an 8-hour time-weighted average).
• The WEL for softwood dust is 5mg/m³ (based on an 8-hour time-weighted average).
• For mixtures of hardwood and softwood dusts, the WEL for hardwood dust of 3mg/m³ applies to all wood dusts present in that mixture.

Adequate control of wood dust is achieved when:

• Exposure is below the relevant WEL; and
• Exposure is reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable
• The eight principles of good control practice are applied as set out in Schedule 2A of COSHH.

1. Design and operate processes and activities to minimise emission, release and spread of substances hazardous to health.
2. Consider all relevant routes of exposure- inhalation, skin absorption and ingestion- when developing control measures.
3. Control exposure by measures that are proportionate to the health risk.
4. Choose the most effective and reliable control options which minimise the escape and spread of substances hazardous to health.
5. Where adequate control of exposure cannot be achieved by other means, provide, in combination with other control measures, suitable personal protective equipment.
6. Check and review regularly all elements of control measures for their continuing effectiveness.
7. Inform and train all employees on the hazards and risks from the substances with which they work, and the use of control measures developed to minimise the risks.
8. Ensure that the introduction of control measures does not increase the overall risk to health and safety.

NEWS: The HSE have designated both hardwood and softwoods as Asthmagens and hardwoods as a carcinogen. Read more…

At Impact, we are experienced in controlling wood dust and are on hand to assist you. Call or email us today to ensure compliance and full protection.