WIS23 – Wood Dust: Controlling the Risk.

Essential HSE Guidance on Controlling One of the UK’s Most Significant Occupational Health Hazards

LEVCentral Expert Commentary

If you work with wood, this is one of the most important HSE guidance documents you can read.

WIS23 – Wood Dust: Controlling the Risk is HSE’s principal practical guidance for employers using Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) within the woodworking industry. It explains the health and safety risks associated with wood dust, how exposure occurs and, most importantly, how those risks can be effectively controlled. The guidance is written specifically to help employers understand what constitutes good practice and to enable them to ask informed questions when purchasing, commissioning and maintaining LEV systems.

The current Revision 3 (2022) is a significant update. It includes new guidance on the use of airflow indicators and dust lamps, together with improved advice on dust control for circular saws. It also consolidates several earlier HSE publications into a single document, replacing WIS24, WIS25, WIS26 and WIS1, making it the definitive starting point for woodworking dust control.

For LEV engineers, occupational hygienists and Duty Holders, WIS23 is one of the best examples of how COSHH principles can be translated into practical engineering controls.

View HSE Guide

HSE Guide

Key Learning Points

WIS23 explains:

Why wood dust is hazardous to health.
The difference between hardwood and softwood dust.
The health effects of exposure, including:
- Occupational asthma.
- Dermatitis.
- Eye, nose and throat irritation.
- Nasal cancer associated with hardwood dust.
Why fine dust presents the greatest risk.
High-risk woodworking operations.
Employer duties under COSHH.
Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs).
Applying the Hierarchy of Control.
Effective use of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV).
Hood design and dust capture.
Airflow indicators.
Using dust lamps to assess dust capture.
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).
LEV maintenance.
User checks.
Training and supervision.
Good housekeeping and avoiding dry sweeping or compressed air.

Common High-Risk Woodworking Activities

The guidance identifies several operations where exposure to wood dust is particularly likely:

Activity	Typical Risk
Sawing	Large quantities of airborne dust and chips generated.
Routing and moulding	High-speed cutters produce significant fine dust.
Turning	Continuous generation of airborne wood dust.
Machine sanding	One of the highest dust-producing processes.
Hand-held power sanding	Fine respirable dust close to the breathing zone.
Processing MDF and composite boards	Fine dust generation with potential formaldehyde exposure.
Bagging extraction waste	Secondary dust exposure during waste handling.
Housekeeping	Dry sweeping and compressed air can dramatically increase airborne dust levels.

Source Information

Organisation: Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Publication: WIS23 (Revision 3) – Wood Dust: Controlling the Risk

Publication Date: 2022

Series: Woodworking Information Sheet (WIS)

Document Type: HSE Information Sheet

Primary Topics: Wood Dust, LEV, COSHH, Occupational Asthma, Hardwood Dust, Dust Capture, Airflow Indicators, Dust Lamps, Workplace Exposure Limits.

LEVCentral Perspective

In many respects, WIS23 is the practical companion to HSG258 for the woodworking industry.

Where HSG258 explains the principles of LEV design, commissioning and Thorough Examination and Testing across all industries, WIS23 demonstrates how those principles should be applied specifically to woodworking operations.

One particularly welcome addition in Revision 3 is the emphasis placed on airflow indicators and dust lamps.

Airflow indicators provide operators with a simple visual confirmation that an LEV system is functioning as intended, helping to identify faults before they become serious.

Dust lamps allow employers and LEV engineers to see what is normally invisible—fine airborne dust escaping into the workplace. They are one of the most effective training tools available for demonstrating why good LEV and correct working practices are so important.

Another strength of WIS23 is its clear recognition that LEV alone is not enough. Effective dust control also depends on:

selecting suitable machinery;
keeping cutters sharp;
using properly designed guards;
maintaining transport velocities;
avoiding compressed-air cleaning;
adopting good housekeeping practices; and
ensuring operators understand how to use the equipment correctly.

The document also reinforces an important COSHH principle for wood dust:

For substances capable of causing occupational asthma or cancer, employers should reduce exposure to as low as is reasonably practicable (ALARP), not simply below the Workplace Exposure Limit.

Further Resources

HSG258 – Controlling Airborne Contaminants at Work
WIS32 – Safe Collection of Wood Waste: Prevention of Fire and Explosion
EH40 – Workplace Exposure Limits
MDHS 82/2 – The Dust Lamp
HSE Woodworking Information Sheet Series
COSHH Essentials – Woodworking Direct Advice Sheets

Recommended Learning

Thought Leadership

WIS23 demonstrates that effective wood dust control is not achieved by simply installing an extraction system.

Good control results from the integration of well-designed machinery, effective LEV, competent commissioning, routine user checks, planned maintenance, good housekeeping and informed operators. Remove any one of these elements and the overall standard of protection is reduced.

From a LEVCentral perspective, WIS23 represents one of HSE’s finest examples of practical guidance. It takes the legal requirements of COSHH and the engineering principles described in HSG258 and translates them into straightforward, workplace-focused advice that employers can implement immediately.

For anyone responsible for woodworking operations, this publication should be regarded as essential reading and forms one of the cornerstones of effective wood dust management in the UK.