Dust Almanac

Wood dust shop checklist

It can cause asthma, allergies and nose cancer, and it burns.12 Fine dust you can’t see matters most.2

1. Capture it at the tool

  • Extraction on every dust-making machine, and switched on.2
  • Sanders connected to an extractor.
  • Gates open for the tool in use.

2. Protect yourself

  • Fitted respirator (N95, P100 or FFP3), not a dust mask.23
  • Clean-shaven at the seal, or a loose hood PAPR.45
  • Seal check every time.3
  • Safety glasses or goggles.
  • Shop clothes stay in the shop.6

3. Clean up safely

  • Class M or HEPA vacuum, or damp wipe.47
  • No brooms. No compressed air.4
  • Respirator on for cleanup.2

4. Prevent fires

  • Nothing metal into the collector.7
  • No dust buildup on ledges.7
  • Oily rags dried flat or sealed in metal.8

5. Listen to your body

Cough, wheeze, runny nose or rash that eases away from the shop? See a doctor and tell them you work with wood.9

No wood is “safe”. Full guide: /protection

Sources

  1. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Wood Dust and Formaldehyde. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Vol. 62. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1995. Link
  2. Health and Safety Executive. Wood dust: Controlling the risks. Woodworking Information Sheet No 23 (Revision 3), WIS23(rev3). First published 11/12, revised 06/22. Link
  3. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Filtering Facepiece Respirators. Updated October 28, 2026. Link
  4. Health and Safety Executive. Wood dust (Woodworking topic page). Updated 2025-09-04. Link
  5. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Powered Air-Purifying Respirators. Updated October 28, 2026. Link
  6. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. About Take-Home Exposures. Updated October 28, 2026. Link
  7. Health and Safety Executive. Safe collection of wood waste: Prevention of fire and explosion. Woodworking Information Sheet WIS32(rev1). 2011. Link
  8. Cambridge Fire Department (City of Cambridge, Massachusetts). Dirty, oily rags bundled closely together can spontaneously ignite. News release, July 14, 2023. Link
  9. Health and Safety Executive. Breathe freely: A workers' information card on occupational asthma. INDG172(rev1). HSE; 2012. Link

Last reviewed .