Dust in Working Environments

Dust in working environments

By Georgia Fellows

Having dust in working environments can be harmful to employees and anyone else who visits the site, as dust can be so dangerous to health, and in some cases fatal. There are many types of dust, such as nuisance dust, which can affect breathing, eyesight, create slip hazards, block ventilation, and clog buttons; all of which are safety hazards. Then there is what is known as hazardous dust, which can cause damage to health beyond irritation. Flour and wood dust for example are known to cause occupational asthma. Silica dust is the second biggest cause of lung disease after asbestos, killing over 800 people in the UK yearly. Silica dust is found in stone, rocks, sand and clay. When these materials are disturbed, silica dust is released into the air causing a huge hazard to those in surrounding areas. Silica dust, when inhaled deep into the lungs, can cause problems such as: lung cancer, bronchitis, inflammation of the lungs and silicosis.

So many solutions have been created to remove dust from work sites, and there is absolutely no excuse for putting employees at risk by leaving dust in the workplace with so many options to ensure that this isn’t the case.

Not only can Hako provide machines to get the dust off the floors, but we also provide Dust Stops, which prevent dust from being released back into the air as the floor is being cleaned. ‘With Dust Stop, Hako has developed a side brush jacket that reduces the development of dust and fine particulates during dry sweeping by up to 90 % in comparison to conventional side brushes – in such an innovative fashion that Dust Stop has received the Purus Innovation Award in the category Equipment at the CMS 2019 in Berlin.’

In addition to Dust Stops, our indoor machines are also fitted with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, which also work to trap particles of dust and prevent them from being released into the air. The HEPA standard for their filters is to remove 99.97% of particles from the air, therefore resulting in extremely clean air. HEPA filters have been proven to be one of the most effective and preferred ways to clean silica dust in the workplace.

Hako offers free site visits and demo’s, which can help businesses understand which product is best for the workplace and show just how effective the machines are. To find out more about how Hako can better your workplace, get in contact with a member of our UK team who can discuss with you further.

Telephone 01788 825600 or email: enquiries@hako.co.uk