Recent prosecution: Business fined £4,000 for repeated wood dust offences

A window and door manufacturer received a £4,000 penalty for a string of wood dust-related compliance issues. 

Visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) three times within one year, the business was repeatedly warned about wood dust exposure issues. The visits spotlighted significant wood dust accumulation across the workshop and a lack of suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE) for staff. 

A subsequent HSE investigation showed the company had failed to protect employees from the dangers of wood dust in a variety of ways: 

• Using inadequate local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and not having the system examined and tested within the past 14 months
• Failing to have employees face fit tested for their RPE
• Dry sweeping wood dust 
• Using compressed air lines to clear wood dust from machines
• Using incorrect L class vacuums
• Not providing health surveillance for staff who had been exposed to wood dust 

Despite a series of improvement notices, the business failed to implement control measures, resulting in an order to pay a £4,000 fine and £2,792 in costs. 

The HSE inspector said: ‘The risks from exposure to wood dust are well known and exposure can cause irreparable harm.

‘The fine imposed should highlight to employers in the woodworking industry that the courts and HSE take failure to control exposure to harmful substances, such as wood dust, extremely seriously.’

Dealing with the dangers of wood dust 

Wood dust exposure is a key target area for inspectors – with good reason. Inhaling wood dust is linked to a range of life-threatening health conditions such as cause asthma, nasal cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). HSE statistics show that each year, 12,000 lung disease deaths are related to historical exposure at work.

You can protect your workers with a multi-layered strategy of risk assessment, control measures, and targeted health surveillance: 

• Install local exhaust ventilation (LEV), which is widely accepted as the most effective safeguard against airborne wood dust. Schedule inspections with a competent person at least once every 14 months. 
• Prohibit dry sweeping within a mill or machining area. Instead, regularly clear residual dust with a HEPA-filtered or M class vacuum. 
• Educate employees on the first signs of wood dust exposure, including coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, headaches, allergic reactions, and irritation of the eyes, throat, or skin.
• Use a high-intensity dust lamp to highlight areas and tasks with heightened exposure hazards.  
• Replace dust bags when they’re two-thirds full to limit spills and airborne dust. 
• When changing dust bags, ensure employees wear suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), including FFP3 masks and gloves.
• Use respiratory protective equipment (RPE) alongside LEV when sanding.
• Conduct face fit testing as part of your risk assessment whenever FFP3 masks are required.
• Provide ongoing health surveillance for affected team members to identify and act on emerging health issues. 

For more information about wood dust monitoring and health surveillance, read our best practice blog. 

If you have questions about safeguarding your team from the risks of wood dust exposure, speak to an Opus consultant on 0330 043 4015 or email hello@opus-safety.co.uk.