Health Risk from wood dust - a primer

Based on HSE data, a significant number of people in the UK succumb to lung disease, or experience occupational asthma as a result of exposure to airborne contaminants in the workplace. Wood dust, a by-product of cutting or shaping wood with machines or tools, is particularly prevalent in industries such as sawmills, furniture-making, cabinetmaking, and carpentry, posing a risk to those operating woodworking equipment. Inhaling wood dust leads to its deposition in the nose and throat, with finer particles penetrating deep into the lungs.

?Wood dust is hazardous to health

Wood dust causes occupational asthma as well as cancer. Both hardwood and softwood dusts have a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) which must not be exceeded. Take a look at a short case study.

·???????? 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).

When dealing with mixtures of hardwood and softwood dusts, the WEL for hardwood dust of 3mg/m3 applies to all wood dusts present in that mixture.

Wood dust exposure is strongly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (a type of cancer that affects the part of the throat connecting the back of the nose to the back of the mouth - the pharynx). In addition, people who are in contact with wood dust at work or have jobs related to the dust have higher chances of getting lung cancer.

How do we protect the health of workers?

Adequate control of wood dust is achieved when:

• The eight principles of good control practice are applied (Schedule 2A of COSHH) Minimise emission, release and spread Consider routes of exposure Choose control measures proportionate to the risk Choose effective control options Personal protective equipment – the final control option Review the effectiveness of controls Provide information and training Ensure that the measures introduced to protect workers do not increase the overall risk to health or safety
• Exposure is below the relevant WEL, and
• Exposure is reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.

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?Extraction (LEV)

Exposure to wood dust is best controlled using fixed LEV (Local Exhaust Ventilation) that will effectively control the dust at source as it is produced. The LEV needs to be designed to capture the dust as it is created and to transport the dust away to a suitable collection device (such as a filter or a centrifugal capture device). Simple information on LEV systems for wood working equipment may be found at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis23.pdf and in https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg408.pdf

When several wood working machines use the same LEV unit, the workers need to know how to adjust the extraction to get the right level of protection from dust.

LEV only works when turned on. This can be done by design (linked to the power of the woodworking equipment) or supervision. One common reason that LEV is not used is that it can be very loud (another health risk that you will also need to deal with). If possible, place the motor and the fan away from the workplace.

Health Surveillance

Because of the health effects caused by wood dust, workers exposed to the dust should receive health surveillance. Set up a suitable health surveillance programme. We are partnering with an Occupational Health provider, so please contact us for further details,

Fire and explosion

Wood dust is combustible, and the dust can form an explosive atmosphere in air. These risks will need addressing separately.

If you want to talk about how to manage wood dust in your workplace, please contact me - www.lrbconsulting.co.uk