Wood Waste Recycling Centre Fined ￡160,000 by HSE

A wood waste recycling centre was found to have endangered its employees' long-term health due to excessive dust exposure, according to a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution.

Esken Renewables Limited was fined ￡160,000 and ordered to pay ￡5,310.35 in costs by Teesside Magistrates’ Court on May 23, 2024.

Esken Renewables specialises in generating biofuel from renewable waste, operating a wood waste recycling centre in Middlesborough that processes various types of wood into biofuel.

An HSE inspector visited the site in April 2022 to investigate dust exposure after local concerns were raised about wood dust spreading to the surrounding area.

The inspector provided detailed evidence to Esken Renewables, highlighting the dangers of high wood dust exposure to staff.

The inspector urged the company to take appropriate action to control the risks.

Case Outcome

In response, the company accepted that the dust spread was partly due to four storms occurring in the area in quick succession.

However, the HSE investigation determined that the company’s measures to control wood dust and protect employees from it were inadequate, and didn't meet expected standards.

Esken Renewables failed to design and operate processes to minimise the emission, release and spread of wood dust.

Effective solutions could have been implemented, including local exhaust ventilation, enclosing machinery, or designing processes with vacuum systems instead of compressed air for cleaning and maintenance.

The company admitted to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002.

The HSE warned that excessive wood dust exposure can cause asthma and nasal cancer, with softwood dust identified as an asthmagen, and hardwood dust as a carcinogen.

“The expected standard is to control exposure to as low-a-level as is reasonably practicable. We hope this raises industry awareness about the importance of controlling hazardous substances, particularly wood dust, in the wood waste and recycling industry,” said HSE inspector Matthew Dundas after the hearing.

Protecting Staff From Dust Exposure

Contact with dust can cause serious health problems, such as breathing and respiratory issues, while contact with eyes and skin can cause irritation and dermatitis.

Here’s how employers can prevent exposure and protect their workers from excessive dust in factory and industrial conditions:

Identify dust exposure

Frequently check for visible high levels of dust on work surfaces and equipment.

Use a dust lamp to identify any finer particles.

Assess if any materials or activities in your workplace create dust.

Do a COSHH Assessment

Carry out a Control of Substances Hazardous to Health COSHH assessment to evaluate risks and to help you control exposure to hazardous substances.

Implement necessary measures as a result of the findings before starting work.

Prevent exposure, or introduce control measures

Eliminate dust production by using wet-cutting instead of sawing, substituting materials with less toxic alternatives, and avoiding brushing or dry sweeping.

If exposure can't be entirely prevented, introduce measures such as removing or replacing products causing the dust emissions, changing processes, enclosing cutting processes, installing equipment to extract emissions, and reducing the amounts of time workers are exposed to dust.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should also be used, but as a last resort in terms of preventative measures.

Maintain good workplace hygiene

Ensure the workplace is cleaned regularly without causing airborne dust.

Adequate washing facilities should be available, such as a sink with warm water, liquid soap and disposable towels so that staff can wash their hands of particulate matter.

Have emergency procedures

Develop a plan for handling spills or injuries in accordance with health and safety law.

Ensure workers understand dust risks, control measures, proper use of protective equipment and emergency procedures.

Engage workers in creating control measures to ensure they are practical and effective.

Have regular occupational health assessments

You can also conduct regular occupational health assessments to monitor workers’ health if they're exposed to dust linked to specific health conditions.

Spirometry tests are a common example, and a effective way of assessing lung and breathing function in environments where workers are exposed to respiratory hazards.