Thread: Question for BobL

Hi Barry,

There are usually regulations or recommendations in place for dust generated by
-workplaces - these are OHS standards, These are set at a State level, generally poorly monitored and even more poorly enforced.
-building sites and industries on surroundings usually set by Shires and Councils.
-owner or occupiers of premises on neighbours usually set by Shires and Councils.

The Shire and Council regs are usually stated as follows

An owner or occupier of premises shall not causeor permit the escape of smoke, dust, fumes, offensive or foul odours,liquid waste or liquid refuse from the premises in such quantity or of sucha nature as to cause or to be a nuisance.

"Nuisance" is a rather useless descriptor because one persons nuisance may not be noticed by someone else and VV.
In contrast noise regulations are tightly specified numerically in terms of Sound pressure levels (dBs) and times of day.

In my council the only specific mention of dust for businesses is for dry cleaner businesses and building sites.

The occupier of a dry cleaning establishment shall provide effective means to
prevent the escape into the open air of all dust or other material from the premises.

You would need to check who the operator of the shed is and your council regs.

If you can determine a nuisance level (stained washing, cars visibly covered in dust etc) that would be something but you can forget about them know anything about the impact of fine dust on wood allergies.
Also if a sports team visits the the ground, say a couple of nights a week for training and on the weekend for a match, given it's outside you will be battling to prove any significant long term dust exposure.

Those at greatest risk of being affected by dust are DIYers who spend long hours inside a small shed with no, or poor, extraction or ventilation. The effect of a shed concentrating the dust is the main reason why we push the concept of venting dust collectors and vacuum cleaners outside sheds.

The dilution effect outside a shed is enormous and someone would need to have their noses up near the vent points or be ultra sensitive to experience effects. Remember ordinary air already has some wood dust in it. The levels vary considerably so if a shed emitting fine dust doubled the wood dust content of outside air it matters very little. Like the swimmers peeing into a pool. Not so good if everyone does it but matters little if one person does it.

Did you know that on average a person contributes 0.14g of poo to a swimming pool every time they take a swim? That means if 1000 people use a pool in one day 140 g of poo have entered the pool.
Bet you'll think about that next time you visit a public pool.

Thank you Bob for such a quick and very detailed reply.

Cheers Barry

Further information Bob, it's a local woodworking club that meets twice a month, dust making activities would only be a maximum of 8 hours per month, most months its less than 4 hours.
The "dustys" are in the shed without cross flow ventilation, I would like to install a 500mm exhaust fan clear the air.

Cheers Barry

Note to self. Don't swim with Bob. He just put the poo in pools.

Originally Posted by QC Inspector

Note to self. Don't swim with Bob. He just put the poo in pools.

Not me, I haven't been in a public pool since high school.
I only go for a swim a couple of times a year, last year not at all.