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.

• More information for employers

You can find more guidance and information on the Further reading pages.