Construction hazardous substances: Construction dust

Construction dust is not just a nuisance; it is a real risk to your lungs. This page tells you how to control these risks and why.

What you must do

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations says you must protect against the risks from hazardous construction dusts. Follow the 'Assess, Control and Review model'. You will find detailed information on these key areas below:

Industry guidance on this topic is available:

What you should know

Regularly breathing construction dust can cause diseases like lung cancer, asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and silicosis. Construction workers have a high risk of developing these diseases because many common construction tasks can create high dust levels.

These diseases cause permanent disability and early death. Over 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year.

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Updated 2023-05-03