Regular exposure to wood dust can lead to serious health issues such as asthma, which is four times more common in woodworkers than other UK workers. Hardwood dust, in particular, can cause nasal cancer, while settled dust with tiny particles is harmful to the lungs and can cause skin conditions. Additionally, wood dust is combustible and can cause fires or explosions, often originating in dust extraction equipment.
High wood dust exposure operations include:
- Sawing, routing, or turning wood
- Sanding by hand or machine
- Blowing dust from furniture with compressed air
- Assembling machined or sanded components by hand
- Cutting or treating composite boards like MDF
- Sweeping up wood dust
To mitigate these risks, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations of 2002 mandate that wood dust exposure must not exceed 5 mg/m³ over an 8-hour workday.
Effective management of wood dust is thus crucial for worker safety. Dust extraction systems play a vital role in capturing and removing wood dust at its source, preventing it from becoming airborne and posing health risks. These systems ensure that dust is efficiently collected and transported away from the workspace, significantly reducing exposure.
A well-designed ducting system complements the dust extraction system by transporting the captured dust and debris to a central collection unit for filtration. Nordfab Quick-Fit (QF) offers an easy-to-install clip-together ducting system that has been a preferred solution for furniture joineries for the past 50 years. The company’s solutions, including extraction hoods and drop-out boxes, are specially tailored to the wood industry.
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