Dust might seem like a harmless by-product in the workplace, but it poses significant risks to health and safety. Found across a wide range of industries, from construction to manufacturing and agriculture, inhalation of excessive dust can lead to respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and even cancer. Invisible to the naked eye, fine dust particles can be the most dangerous, penetrating deep into the lungs and causing irreparable damage.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to highlight the dangers of dust, with campaigns like “Dust Kills” raising awareness of life-threatening diseases caused by occupational exposure. The campaign can be found by clicking this link. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, employers are legally required to assess and control workers’ exposure to hazardous dust, ensuring that health surveillance is carried out where necessary. However, the reality remains harsh – dust continues to cause avoidable illnesses, disabilities, and premature deaths across industries.

Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is one of the most hazardous types of dust encountered in the workplace. Found in materials like granite, sandstone, and engineered stone, silica dust is produced during activities such as cutting, chiselling, grinding, and polishing. Workers exposed to RCS are at risk of developing silicosis—a progressive and incurable lung disease—as well as lung cancer and COPD.

To address the dangers of silica dust, the HSE has introduced new guidance aimed at stoneworkers and supervisors involved in installing stone worktops. Their advice – found by clicking this link- looks at best practices such as employing competent staff, using water suppression to dampen dust, installing local exhaust ventilation (LEV), and ensuring proper respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is worn. With over 500 construction workers estimated to die annually from silica-related exposure, controlling this risk is not just a legal obligation but a moral imperative.

Wood dust, commonly produced during construction and woodworking, is another hazardous material that demands attention. Exposure to wood dust can lead to occupational asthma, COPD, and even nasal cancer, particularly when working with hardwoods, softwoods, or composite materials like MDF.

The HSE inspected 1000 woodworking businesses in 2023/34, and they revealed that 78% were failing to adequately protect workers from respiratory hazards. Tasks like cutting, sanding, and machining wood generate significant dust levels, putting not only the workers involved but also others in the environment at risk. Out of those 1000 inspections, there were 402 enforcement actions taken. At the date of this blog being published, there has just been a prosecution of a door and window manufacturing company (link here) which was inspected 3 times over a period of 12 years – and the images clearly show the vast amount of dust workers were exposed to.

Employers are urged to implement controls such as local exhaust ventilation, dust suppression systems, and RPE to protect workers and comply with COSHH regulations. The HSE have specific guidance available on the dangers of wood dust- click this link to learn more.

Many workplace tasks—such as using high-powered tools, sanding, or dry sweeping—can generate high levels of dust. To minimise exposure, employers should adopt a combination of preventive measures:

• Reduce dust generation by using the correct size of materials to limit cutting, or opting for low-power tools like block splitters instead of cut-off saws.
• Employing water suppression techniques to prevent dust clouds from forming, ensuring an adequate and continuous water supply during operations.
• Utilise industrial vacuum systems – such as a LEV – attached to tools to capture dust at its source.
• Provide workers with properly fitted respiratory protective equipment (RPE) as a last line of defence.

In addition to assessing risk and creating controls, employers are legally required to provide health surveillance when there is a significant risk of exposure to harmful substances, such as RCS or wood dust. Surveillance must be carried out by competent health professionals.

Beyond compliance with Health & Safety legislation, implementing health surveillance encourages a proactive approach to safeguarding workers, ensuring early detection and treatment of potentially life-altering conditions.