Woodworkers - common causes of asthma
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.
Top tips
- Use dust extraction. For dusty jobs, you also need respiratory protective equipment.
- Never sweep up or use compressed air. Clean up using wet methods or an industrial vacuum cleaner.
- Check that all extraction systems work properly once a week
- You need regular health surveillance
Reduce disease - reduce exposure to wood dusts
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.

