Successful prosecutions by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2025 have continued to demonstrate the critical need for companies to ensure the highest H&S standards in the workplace, in particular the strict control and removal of dust particles.
From kitchen and furniture manufacturers, window and door companies, and stone worktop producers, to wood suppliers, property developers and waste and recycling firms, organisations of all sizes operating across multiple industrial sectors still failed to protect their employees’ long-term health and wellbeing last year, so heavy fines ensued.
Non-compliance of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2022 is non-negotiable – the safe, guaranteed extraction of dust and other residues is a priority for all employers whose products and services generate airborne particles.
Whether it be factory floors and production lines or an active construction site, such working environments create higher H&S risks, yet some companies continue to leave it until they ‘get caught’ to address this responsibility.
Advanced particle control measures and dust extraction systems must be well designed, correctly installed and regularly serviced to accommodate, remove and safely eradicate the danger, and while most organisations do this very well, there are still some that cut corners as HSE prosecutions have shown.
FEG Global’s specialist design engineering teams are regularly called upon to design, install and commission highly bespoke ventilation systems for clients in the UK as well as Europe where volumes of dust and residues, often hazardous, are generated daily. This has included firms manufacturing food, drinks, chemicals, paper/pulp, plastics and disposables, for example, as well as R&D facilities and power industries. All require fit-for-purpose solutions to often complex needs.
Whether it be at initial planning stages when a new industrial facility is being designed and built, as part of ongoing and regular risk assessment exercises, or when upgrades to existing production plants have taken place and extraction systems need to be redesigned to accommodate greater manufacturing needs, increased contaminants or larger working environments, organisations must be very proactive and fully committed to maintaining the highest levels of operational safety.
Chris Williams, managing director, explained: “Dust collation, extraction and control processes simply cannot be compromised and organisations have to take this seriously from the very start, not just when they get caught and fined.
“Depending upon the individual business, dust particles can be generated from raw materials like wood, stone and metals, or manufactured products such as silica and flour from milling. If not accommodated, serious breaches of law occur – there are also additional regulations that specifically address the risks posed by generating hazardous dust substances too.
“Technically advanced filtration and ventilation systems, extraction equipment, and evaluation and feasibility procedures must be in place for organisations to operate responsibly and safely. Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) can help employers control exposure to not only dust, but to gas, vapours, mist, oils and other substances too. However, any ventilation control must be appropriate to the nature of the business and importantly, proportionate to the output levels being produced.”
The HSE provides direction to local authority inspectors on key enforcement issues and for 2025/26, these, amongst others, included respiratory health disease caused by exposure to dust particles. Prevention of any possible exposure is key, and if a potential risk is identified, it must be rectified immediately.
Chris added: “FEG’s technical design and installation capabilities have enabled us to work with a range of organisations who now have bespoke, one-off systems in place to meet and exceed such regulations while also accommodating future growth plans and increased needs. Manufacturers must be prepared for HSE inspections at any time, and therefore regular maintenance and servicing of existing LEV systems is also a must.”
More information regarding FEG Global’s ventilation and dust extraction design and installation services can be found at: https://www.feg-global.com/services/environmental-technologies/industrial-dust-extraction-system/
Photos: Examples of dust particle control and ventilation systems designed specifically by FEG Global for clients, Kimberly-Clark (above right) and Lakeland Bake (above left).