Monitoring for Your Wood Dust COSHH Assessment

Monitoring is essential for your Wood Dust COSHH Assessment to minimise staff exposure and ensure workplace safety, control measures are working, and you remain compliant. Synergy can help make this easy with our expert consultancy services. Read on to understand what Wood Dust Exposure means to you and your business.

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HSE Wood Dust Regulations

Exposure is broken down into two categories – hardwood dust and softwood dust.

HSE Wood Dust Regulations, specifically, EH40/2005, class both hardwood and softwood dust as respiratory sensitisers as they can cause occupational asthma. Furthermore, the condition only worsens over time. If someone is sensitised, then even small amounts can cause a severe allergic reaction.

Hardwood dust is a known cancer-causing substance. For this reason, monitoring your workers’ exposure to wood dust is essential.

Wood Dust Exposure Limits

Exposure Limits

Exposure Limits for Hardwood and Softwood Dusts

The 8-hour limits given in EH40 are 5 mg.m-3 for softwood dust and 3 mg.m-3 for hardwood. Also, the HSE requires employers to control both types to a level they refer to as ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable). This extra caution is because both types are sensitisers and hardwood is also carcinogenic. Even if the monitoring shows that exposure to wood dust is low if further control measures are available, employers must use them, because there is no safe exposure level.

For more information about wood dust exposure limits, read our blog – how much exposure to wood dust is dangerous?

Monitoring Exposure

Monitoring Wood Dust Exposures

Our occupational hygiene consultants measure exposure using the method the HSE specifies in MDHS 14/4. In reality, it is customary to measure the inhalable part only. When sampling inhalable particles, the occupational hygienist will use an IOM sampling head. The consultant will attach a pump for the operative to wear, usually on the belt or in a pocket. The consultant then positions the sampling head, which contains a pre-weighed filter, in the worker’s breathing zone (within 300mm of the mouth and nose). The laboratory analyses the filter following MDHS 14/4.

Controlling Wood Dust

Controlling Exposure

The HSE expects sites that handle wood dust to control exposure by using local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems. Employers have a legal obligation to test and maintain systems following HSE guidance HSG258 ‘Controlling airborne contaminants at work’.

Synergy Occupational Hygiene Ltd offers workplace air monitoring services and recommends combining monitoring with LEV testing.

Synergy Specialises in All Aspects of COSHH

Workplace air monitoring is a fundamental aspect of worker safety and COSHH compliance in most industries. From inert compounds to hazardous substances, Synergy’s team of Occupational Hygiene Consultants can work with you to get you a report in 15 working days. We specialise in all these workplace hazards.