How to Control Dust in Construction

Calling all construction site managers – How to control dust in construction

What is dust management?

Dust kills! As an employer, it is your responsibility to protect your workers’ health. Where construction work uses power tools such as cut-off saws, grinders, breakers, and sanders then it is likely that there will be high dust levels. Dust management and control are the measures implemented to reduce or remove dust emissions from the activities that generate dust.

Where is dust control needed?

Construction sites can cause dust emissions into the air during site preparation works (demolition and earthworks) and during construction. Construction sites can cause annoyances in the form of nuisance (dust soiling of surfaces by dust) and also human health impacts due to exposure to elevated particulate concentrations (PM10 and PM2.5). Very high levels of nuisance can also impact the diversity of wildlife ecosystems. It is therefore important to incorporate dust management and control as part of your activities on site, to prevent dust particles from becoming airborne and causing nuisance or human health issues.

When to apply dust management?

Dust management techniques are employed on a site to reduce or eliminate dust emissions from activities that generate dust. The Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) guidance on the assessment of dust from demolition and construction details the steps to follow to define the risk of impacts on a particular site.

It is important to note that the risk of an impact is often determined based on no mitigation applied on-site. Based on the defined site risk category, specific mitigation measures can then be implemented such as dampening down haul roads and reducing speed limits on site. It is assumed that through the use of effective mitigation on site, for almost all construction activity, the significant effects on receptors should be prevented.

It is necessary to apply dust management and control measures on site, particularly during dry conditions and where there are significant dusty activities taking place on-site such as concrete batching or sandblasting.

Why deal with dust during construction?

Exposure to particulates has long been associated with a range of health effects. Regularly breathing construction dust can cause diseases such as lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and silicosis. It is therefore important that dust on site and also exposure to dust is minimized.

A Call for Action and Education

Clean air is a fundamental requirement for a healthy environment. Although air quality has improved in recent years, there’s room for further progress, as emphasized in Chris Whitty’s Annual Report on Air Pollution (2022). We must focus on areas where people live, work, and study, educating patients about the risks of air pollution.

It’s evident that more should be done to integrate air pollution discussions into medical practice. While moving might not be an option, adopting measures like using Defra’s pollution forecast tool for daily planning and modifying routes to avoid congested roads during commutes can reduce exposure. However, this necessitates additional training for medical professionals to understand the effects of air pollution better.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) acknowledges the need for a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of air pollution on health within the medical curriculum. There is also an acceptance that doctors, and all healthcare professionals, need to understand that they have a responsibility to talk to patients about air pollution and how to avoid it. The RCP is actively working on producing and promoting resources to facilitate conversations about air pollution between healthcare professionals and patients.

Toolbox Talks

Construction dust is not just a nuisance, it can also seriously damage health. If you would like to raise awareness of health risks on your construction sites, and how to avoid or minimise exposure to dust, please get in touch and discuss our toolbox talks.

The IAQM is the only professional body specifically for air quality practitioners in the UK. As a member of the IAQM, our competent professionals can make a suitable ‘professional judgement’ on the risk of dust impacts from your site.

If you require construction dust risk assessments, Dust Management Plans, or construction site monitoring, please contact our team at Haze Environmental. With over 15 years of experience designing and implementing dust monitoring for various construction projects, we are more than happy to discuss your requirements and design bespoke monitoring campaigns to suit your needs. We are more than happy to discuss your requirements with a FREE no obligation project review meeting.

If you are searching for an #airqualityspecialist or would like some air quality, dust or odour advice please feel free to contact us at

📲01905 419920

💻www.hazeenvironmental.com

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