Insights - Dust prevention for factories and warehouses

How to prevent dust spread in factories and warehouses?

Dust is a common occurrence in factories and warehouses due to the movement of products, vehicles, personnel, boxes and due to the myriad of processes. This dust rapidly becomes airborne and can cause all manner of problems for businesses. Products can become dirty and contaminated, actually reducing the value of finished goods which could lead to rejections. Dust can have a huge impact on machinery which can be detrimental to its efficiency, and can drive maintenance costs up, as well as downtime. We shouldn’t forget the effect dust can have on the health and well-being of employees either. Repeated dust inhalation can cause serious health issues such as lung disease, allergies and other respiratory difficulties.

That’s why many businesses take measures such as those detailed below to prevent dust.

Dust prevention tools for factories and warehouses

Ventilation systems

Ventilation control is often an extreme method for businesses to reduce dust in the working environment. Systems called Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) use extractor fans to raise dust particles into ducting. Usually, these ducts lead to collection bags where the dust can be removed for proper disposal.

Fogging systems

Fogging is also a way of protecting factories and warehouses for general dust suppression, preventing dust build up and keeping dust from entering or leaving a space through doorways. Fogging works by filtering out the dust from the air via tiny water droplets that are the same size as the dust particles. The dust amalgamates with the water until it creates a mass great enough to cause the particle to gravitate towards its source. Over the last few years however, some companies have sold what are essentially snow making machines for dust control.

Dust-seal partitioning

A Flexiwall can be an excellent solution to contain dust, preventing it from spreading across large areas. Typically Flexiwall is used to segregate products or people from processes, meaning that dust is restricted to a controlled environment. Flexiwall is quick, clean and non-disruptive to install with solutions designed and installed to any height and width. Due to the unique overlap system between panels and the tight fit around existing penetrations Flexiwall for dust prevention offers 99%+ dust tight seal.

Preventing dust in a factory or warehouse is vital in maintaining a healthy working environment, preventing cross contamination and keeping quality standards high. Contact us to discuss how to prevent dust in your factory or warehouse.