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Department Education, Training and the Arts Queensland
Creating Healthier Workplaces
Creating Healthier Workplaces > Health and Safety > Hazards in Schools >

Dust

In the school environment, there are many different types of dust formed from wood, metal, synthetic fibres (e.g. fibreglass), ceramic art materials and textiles. These dusts can be created by a wide range of curriculum and maintenance activities performed by students and staff.

Dust (e.g. wood dust) can:

Dust is usually generated by mechanical processes such as sanding, grinding and sawing. Schools may not have identified the potential health effects associated with some of these processes.

Schools have an obligation to effectively manage all known risks to students and staff associated with dust exposure. The control measures must ensure that the levels of dust particles in the air do not exceed national exposure standards/limits. This is usually achieved by:

  1. assessing products and equipment to eliminate or reduce risks
  2. minimising the generation of dust during the process e.g. wetting down
  3. capturing dust at the point of generation e.g. extraction system on the equipment/machine or
  4. maintaining effective natural or mechanical ventilation systems in the room or workshop.

Particular care should also be given to possible exposure to dusts at locations visited by students on school excursions or work experience.

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© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts) 2007.

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