Dust in Sheds
Dust is a serious health issue that Sheds need to consider when planning to build or expand their Sheds.
Hazardous dust is used to describe the different types of dust you are likely to find on a construction site or in a Men’s Shed.
Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles from processes such as sanding and cutting become airborne. Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, lining of your lungs and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, and cancer.
The primary objective with dust is to get it out of the shed if you can.
Not all woodworking dust is the same. Different timbers have different levels of risk to health, but it is probably true to say that none are good and some are very bad.
Dust in the workshop comes from two sources.
Dust cannot be eliminated; only minimised.
A fan that blows will always create more problems than it solves.
A good dust extraction system will provide better air quality in your Shed enabling more men to be working on their woodwork, metalwork and other hobbies concurrently.
In 2020, local expert Bob Loss gave us a tour of his own Shed and dust extraction system.
At various times, presentations on dust have been presented to Sheds. We’ve included the slides from these presentations below.
Wood dust presentation slides by Bob Loss