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Interactive toolbox talk

Dust and Fumes

A practical short talk on recognising dust and fume risks and choosing controls that reduce exposure before work starts.

5 to 7 minutes Construction and warehouse teams Completion record available

Understand

Dust and fumes are health risks, not just nuisance issues.

Exposure can affect breathing, eyes and skin, and may cause serious long-term ill health. The task should be planned so dust and fumes are prevented or controlled at source before relying on personal protection.

  • Think about the material, the process and who could be exposed.
  • Control dust and fumes at source wherever possible.
  • Protect warehouse workers, stored goods and nearby operations as well as the task team.
  • Review the work whenever conditions or methods change.

By the end of this talk, you should be able to:

  • recognise common dust and fume-generating activities
  • choose controls that reduce exposure at source
  • understand when RPE forms part of the control set
  • know when to stop and reassess the work

Recognise

Spot the issue

Select each activity to reveal the main point to consider.

Control

Control dust and fumes

Best practice guidance — review these cards; no answer is required.

Follow the sequence below when planning and supervising the task.

01

Plan the task

Identify dusty or fume-generating work, who could be exposed and what equipment and segregation are needed.

02

Suppress or extract

Use water suppression, on-tool extraction, local exhaust ventilation or other controls suited to the task.

03

Protect and supervise

Use suitable RPE where needed, check fit and use, and keep the effectiveness of controls under review.

04

Clean safely

Avoid dry sweeping. Use methods that capture dust without putting it back into the breathing zone.

Discuss

Bring it back to today’s work

These are team discussion prompts; no on-screen answer is required. Discuss them now, then select Next to continue the talk.

  1. Which tasks today could create dust or fumes?
  2. Who or what is outside the immediate work area but could still be affected?
  3. How will we know whether the controls are working?

Check

Check understanding

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. Which approach is usually strongest for controlling dust at source?
2. When should RPE be considered?
3. What should happen if controls are not working?
4. Why is dry sweeping a problem?

Complete

You have completed the Dust and Fumes toolbox talk.

Key reminder: plan dust- and fume-generating work before it starts, control exposure at source and stop if the controls are not effective.

Record your completion

If you need this recorded for KTCS site or project purposes, tick the box below and submit your details.

Need this kind of interactive toolbox talk for your own sites? KTCS can create branded talks with completion records for client teams, subcontractors and suppliers.

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