Wood dust is a hazard at facilities such as sawmills and woodworking shops that manufacture furniture, cabinets and other items made from wood. Cutting, sanding, routing, chopping or molding wood releases fine dust particles into the air. This not only endangers worker health and safety but also contributes to environmental contamination if the dust is vented outside.
Using industrial dust collectors to extract these airborne wood dust particles is crucial for managing and reducing dust-related hazards.
Hazards of Wood Dust
Wood dust presents multiple hazards in workplaces when it accumulates on surfaces, circulates in the air or gets into ventilation systems. Exposure to fine wood particles can lead to a range of health issues for workers, which may progressively impair their well-being.
Health risks from wood dust in the air include:
- Respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing and bronchitis
- Allergic reactions like asthma and rashes
- Irritation of the eyes and skin
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a type of throat cancer
Wood dust also can create dirty and hazardous work environments, accelerate machinery wear, and spread into wider areas, impacting a broader population. Furthermore, in sufficient concentrations, wood dust can heighten the risk of fires and explosions in woodworking settings.
Wood Dust Regulations
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) have defined standards that regulate worker exposure to wood dust in the workplace. Two important metrics include the time-weighted average (TWA), which is measured over eight hours and short-term exposure limit (STEL), which measures in short 15-minute exposure periods.
OSHA has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 5 mg/m3 as an eight-hour TWA and a STEL of 10 mg/m3 for hard and soft wood dust except western red cedar, which has a TWA limit of 2.5 mg/m3. The ACGIH, a scientific organization that advances occupational and environment health, recommends a 0.5 mg/m3 threshold limit value for western red cedar based on its asthma effects.
NIOSH (part of the CDC) also advises limiting wood dust exposure to 1 mg/m3 total dust. In addition, the NFPA 664 Standards for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities establishes minimum requirements and provides information to identify and manage fire and explosion hazards related to combustible dust found in wood processing industries.
By adhering to these exposure limits, sawmills, carpentry businesses and manufacturers can significantly decrease the risks linked to elevated levels of wood dust. Noncompliance with OSHA regulations can lead to penalties and leave businesses vulnerable to legal action.
Effective Wood Dust Collection Solutions
A dust collection system designed to filter out airborne dust particles during woodworking is an essential part of dust management. Such systems should be equipped with the correct filter with a suitableminimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) rating, to efficiently trap various types of wood dust and stop it from circulating in the air.
For instance, Camfil APC’s Gold Series dust collectors effectively remove dust in woodworking environments, mitigating the risk of dust-related fires and explosions. The collectors draw in dust-laden air, filter out the wood particles and either recirculate purified air back into the workspace or vent it outside.
These dust collection systems are capable of handling wood dust particles with varying sizes and shapes. These systems exceed OSHA requirements for indoor air quality in industrial settings.
Gold Series dust collectors can mitigate common wood dusts including:
- Fine, light and powdery wood generated from sanding tools
- Medium- and large-sized wood dust created by routing and drilling tools
- Hardwood and softwood dust
- Fibrous dust associated with certain woods
Mitigating Dust Explosion Risks
Camfil Gold Series dust collectors are constructed with heavy-duty, 7- and 10- gauge steel to withstand a variety of industrial wood dust applications. They are available with deflagration controls and many explosion protection options to mitigate the risk of combustible wood dust that can potentially catch fire or cause an explosion if it encounters an ignition source. The combustible dust explosion protection meets both NFPA and ATEX standards.
Filter Cartridges Capture More Dust
Gold Series dust collectors use high-efficiency filter cartridges to capture 99.97% of airborne particles in the 0.3 micron range. These Gold Cone™️ filter cartridges contain 325—376 square feet of media to offer the industry’s highest air-to-cloth ratio.
Featuring proprietary HemiPleat® filter media, Camfil filter cartridges require less pulse-cleaning than standard dust collector filter cartridges. This means they last longer, require few change-outs and use less energy.
HemiPleat pleating technology uses synthetic beads to open and space pleats more evenly to expose more media to the airstream and capture more dust. An open-bottomed inner core of media also greatly expands the usable surface area of the cartridge.
Gold Series dust collectors are engineered to move the maximum volume of air through the filters while maintaining a low pressure drop. Filter cartridges are positioned vertically in the collectors so that when they are pulse-cleaned, dust falls directly into the hopper instead of onto the filters below. Click here to watch a short video about the Gold Series.
Get Expert Advice in Configuring a Dust Collector
Wood dust creates health and safety risks for employees in plants that produce wood products as well as for the surrounding community when that dust leaks into the environment. Industrial dust collectors help mitigate the dangers of wood dust and ensure compliance with governmental and local rules and guidelines.
Camfil APC dust collection experts can assess your needs and recommend the most effective system, taking into consideration the type of wood, equipment and facility size. We understand OSHA and NFPA standards and can design a dust collection system that mitigates the risk of fires and explosions.
For more information visit Dust Collection for the Woodworking Industry. For assistance in controlling wood dust generated in your processes, email .