Why Businesses Should Be Proud to Talk About Dust Control
In industries like construction, mining, recycling, and agriculture, dust is inevitable. Yet despite how commonplace it is, many companies shy
September 25, 2025 No Comments
At Air Spectrum Environmental, we have prioritised the improvement of air quality in the industrial environment. This concerns different sectors including waste and recycling, demolition and construction. We know how important it is to safeguard the wellbeing of the workforce, especially those in a high respirable risk environment. Dust is a killer. It can also debilitate health for years and affect quality of life if adequate measures are not taken to protect workers who have to face it daily in their jobs.
In 2022, using HSE (Health & Safety Executive) data, it was reported in a study by Herts Tools that the UK construction had to pay 16bn in relation to ill health or injury between 2018 and 2021. Around £3.16bn of that was paid by employers, but the majority, around £9.6bn, was borne by the sick and injured themselves. The government paid the rest.
In spite of these staggering amounts of expenditure, it was also found that many people continued to go to work while ill. There was a 20% decrease in absenteeism despite reports of illness. However, this helps no one in the end, especially those who are unwell as their health will just worsen. Furthermore, if a worker is distracted by ill health and accompanying discomfort, accidents can happen, which compounds the seriousness of the situation. It is not surprising then, that HSE also reports that occupational accidents continue to grow in the construction industry.
With regards to respiratory protection, it is vital that workers have access to current health and safety data sheets, correct PPE, RPE (respiratory protective equipment) and other preventative safety equipment, like dust cannons to protect wider areas of a site.
In industries like construction, demolition, or waste and recycling, the risk of respiratory disease is real and pressing. Dust is usually the cause and there are two types to be aware of:
Respirable dust particles are responsible for travelling deep into the lungs and causing serious health effects for those exposed to them. A respirable dust particle can be identified as being smaller than 10 µm. Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) is silica that can be breathed in. Silica be found:
Respirable dust particles are responsible for travelling deep into the lungs and causing serious health effects for those exposed to them. A respirable dust particle can be identified as being smaller than 10 µm. Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) is silica that can be breathed in. Silica be found:
You can control respirable silica and its negative effects in the following ways:
Inhalable dust is made up of larger particles that can be breathed in, these particles are visible to the naked eye, generally bigger than respirable dust and can be inhaled through the throat and nose. Inhalable dust particles can be between 10 µm and 100 µm in size. They can be generated by the following activities:
Occupational lung health and the ability to breathe are vitally important. If you’re not breathing properly then your whole life is affected, both personally and professionally.
Breathing difficulties can stop you from being able to work and can also stop you from living a normal life outside work.
The health risks to the lungs posed by hazards on site are numerous. They range from asthma, chest infections, and COPD, to, in the very worst case, fatal conditions such as cancerous Mesothelioma and asbestosis. The latter are well known to have latent effects, often not manifesting for years after initial exposure. And once they have taken hold, they are irreversible.
It is undeniable that industry cannot take occupational respiratory health for granted. The HSE decided to run its ‘Dust Kills’ campaign of site inspections[1] in June 2022 as part of a crackdown on occupational respiratory hazards. It was promised that any safety breaches found on the site inspections campaign would warrant ‘necessary action.’ It was acknowledged by the HSE that occupational lung disease was preventable, along with its devastating consequences on families and loved ones.
If there is PPE, RPE and safety equipment, then use it. Encourage workers to be up to speed on safety practice. Conduct regular risk assessments to ensure worker health & safety. If dust hazard is substantial, then by all means use safety equipment to mitigate the dangers during operation. Otherwise, the long-term effects on health can be irreversible for workers. It’s also a risk for employers who lose time, money and profit if the workforce isn’t healthy or working at optimum performance. Things can even become litigious, and nobody wants any situation to escalate in that way.
Air quality at work matters, because people do. And people are the backbone of UK industry. However, all employers, employees and health and safety professionals need to work together – with support from associations and government. Significant and effective change will occur when all parties act.
[1] https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/health-and-safety/hse-targets-poor-dust-control-on-construction-sites-08-06-2022/
In industries like construction, mining, recycling, and agriculture, dust is inevitable. Yet despite how commonplace it is, many companies shy
At Air Spectrum Environmental, we’ve seen first-hand how the right dust suppression system can transform a working environment. Dust might
