Managing Wood Dust Exposure in a Manufacturing Environment

The Challenge

A manufacturing facility engaged in the machining, sanding and assembly of wood-based products required independent occupational hygiene support to assess employee exposure to wood dust, a substance known to be both a respiratory sensitiser and carcinogen under UK health and safety legislation.

While engineering controls and PPE were already in place, the organisation needed to understand:

• Whether employee exposure levels complied with Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs).
• Which activities posed the highest exposure risk.
• Whether existing control measures remained effective.
• How exposure could be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

The Approach

Sysco Environmental carried out a structured hazardous substances assessment in line with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations and associated HSE guidance (L5, EH40, MDHS 14/4 and BS EN 689).

The assessment programme included:

• Personal air monitoring of operatives across multiple work activities.
• Static air monitoring to assess background dust migration.
• Evaluation of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) systems.
• Observation of work practices, cleaning methods and PPE use.
• Review of training, housekeeping and health surveillance arrangements.
• Accredited laboratory analysis of inhalable wood dust samples

Monitoring was undertaken during normal working operations, ensuring results reflected real exposure conditions.

The Findings

The results highlighted a clear variation in exposure across different tasks and areas:

• Wood dust exposure exceeded the Workplace Exposure Limit during sanding activities.
• Several other activities produced exposure levels above 10% of the WEL, classed as significant for a carcinogenic substance
• Some LEV systems were effective, while others were poorly connected or underutilised.
• Use of compressed air for cleaning was observed to create avoidable dust clouds within breathing zones.
• Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) was present but, in some cases, not suitable for duration of use or facial characteristics.
• No formal health surveillance programme was in place despite sensitising exposure risks.

The assessment confirmed that, without improvement, employees were likely to experience ongoing significant exposure to wood dust.

The Recommendations

Sysco Environmental provided clear, prioritised recommendations focused on reducing exposure and strengthening control reliability, including:

• Upgrading to suitable loose-fitting or powered RPE where prolonged use was required.
• Improving LEV effectiveness through proper tool connection, airflow indicators and logbooks.
• Reducing reliance on compressed air cleaning in favour of vacuum-based methods.
• Introducing job rotation or time limits for higher-exposure tasks

Implementing a formal health surveillance programme for sensitising substances

Ongoing training and refresher instruction on COSHH risks and control measures

The Outcome

The assessment provided the organisation with:

• Clear evidence of COSHH compliance gaps and priorities.
• Objective data to support targeted engineering and administrative improvements.
• Increased confidence in managing carcinogenic and sensitising dust risks.
• A defensible, documented approach to protecting employee health.

Most importantly, it enabled informed decision-making — moving beyond assumptions to measured, evidence-based risk control.

Why This Matters

Wood dust exposure is often underestimated, particularly where controls already exist. This case study demonstrates how occupational hygiene monitoring plays a critical role in identifying hidden risks, validating controls and ensuring exposure is reduced to ALARP, not merely below legal limits.