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Dust Monitoring Survey
Workplace Audit

Service
On-site Data Collection

Data Summary

Recommendations for action

Duration
Data Collection (Site Visit)

Typically, 1 Day

Analysis and report

To follow

Compliance
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Dust Monitoring Survey
Workplace Audit

Course Type / Workplace Audit

A walk-through dust detection survey will provide instant indicative results, which will quickly identify any problem areas for secondary investigation or action.

You will have data that tells you how you are performing against the current Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) of 5 mg/m3 for softwood only or 3 mg/m3 for hardwood or mixed wood dust; and help identify where improvements might need to be made.

The service will consist of an onsite data collection using using a Casella Mirco Dust Pro real time dust monitor, data summary and recommendations for action.

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Specification

Delivery

Benefits of Dust Detection

  • Categorise production process according to dust levels:
    • Red – significantly above WEL – action required
    • Amber – within +/- 0.2 mg/m3 of WEL – seek improvements
    • Green – significantly below WEL – no action required
  • Better management of occupational health risks.
  • Objective data to demonstrate compliance with WEL.
  • Provide data to insurance company if requested.
  • Target as low as reasonably practical (ALARP) dust emissions.
  • Develop Safe Systems of Work (SSOW)
  • Ensure staff training and regimes are sufficient for the roles they are expected to undertake.

Health Problems – What you need to know

Wood dust can cause serious health problems. It can cause asthma, which carpenters and joiners  are four times more likely to get compared with other UK workers. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 require that you protect workers from the hazards of wood dust.

Hardwood dust can cause cancer, particularly of the nose.

Settled dust contains the fine particles that are most likely to damage the lungs.

Exposure limits

Both hardwood and softwood dusts have a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) which must not be exceeded.

The WEL for hardwood dust is 3mg/m3 (based on an 8-hour time-weighted average).

The WEL for softwood dust is 5mg/m3 (based on an 8-hour time-weighted average).

For mixtures of hardwood and softwood dusts the WEL for hardwood dust of 3mg/m3 applies to all wood dusts present in that mixture.

Adequate control of wood dust is achieved when:

  • The eight principles of good control practice are applied as set out in Schedule 2A of COSHH;
  • Exposure is below the relevant WEL; and
  • Exposure is reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable (ALARP).

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