Hardwood, softwood and wood composite dusts arise in wood machining and sanding. They are a common cause of occupational asthma.
Asthma affects workers in the furniture and joinery industries.
See COSHH Essentials for detailed advice on control.
The dustiest tasks are sanding, assembly and cleaning, and these usually require a respirator in addition to dust extraction.
Settled dust is easily raised, and is also a dust explosion hazard, so cleaning is important.
You can find more guidance and information on the Asthma publications pages.
