Flour Dust Is the Focus of Inspections at Bakeries in Britain

Last month, inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) began inspections at large bakeries with a focus on dusty ingredients, including flour. Bakery workers often perform tasks that are considered high risk for exposure to dusty ingredients, HSE explains in a press release. Examples of dusty tasks include dusting flour during dough handling; tipping, weighing, and dispensing dry ingredients; hand application of flour at conveyor belts and rollers; and cleaning up flour spills. HSE, Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, states that exposure to flour dust is “one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain.” According to the regulator, bread improver enzymes are among other dusty ingredients that can cause respiratory sensitization in workers who are exposed.

The series of inspections is intended to ensure that employers are properly protecting workers from exposure to dusty baking ingredients by following the hierarchy of controls as described in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. HSE urges bakeries to eliminate dusty processes where possible—for example, by “using non-stick belts instead of flour as a lubricant, or using sensors to stop flour dusters when products are not present.” Employers may also manage risk by substituting dusty ingredients with alternatives like low-dust flour or liquid- or gel-based ingredients. HSE also suggests engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation and explains that respiratory protective equipment should be considered a measure of last resort.

HSE’s press release describes the success of one large bakery that prioritized elimination and substitution control measures to help reduce workers’ exposure to dusty ingredients.

“The company assessed its use of flour nationally and trialed low-dust flours and dust suppressants, which dramatically reduced dust exposure, reducing the risk to workers,” the press release states. “By focusing on eliminating and substituting flour in the first instance, the company was able to implement fewer mechanical controls and reduce the time and cost needed to extract dust from the atmosphere.”

To learn more, read the HSE press release. HSE’s website also provides guidance on controlling flour dust in bakeries, and the regulator refers employers to the Federation of Bakers’ “Guidance on Dust Control and Health Surveillance in Bakeries” for industry guidance in this area.