Woodworking and furniture

Where are the hazards?

If you work with hardwood, softwood or wood composite boards, you are likely to be exposed to wood dust. Wood dust can cause serious health problems:

What are the risks?

Wood dust is a common cause of occupational asthma. In fact, carpenters, joiners and those working in the furniture industry are four times more likely to get asthma compared with other UK workers.

How to control

All cutting and machining of wood will produce dust, but there are some simple things you can do to reduce how much you breathe in:

Updated: 2021-10-05