Wood dust: a simulator to assess the risk of exposure

The self-diagnosis tool for assessing exposure to the risk of wood dust has been modernised and is now an online simulator.

Associated with the guide Wood dust – Evaluate the risk of exposure in your workshop, developed by OPPBTP and FCBA, this tool was previously an Excel table.

“The web format, which is more ergonomic, makes it easier to access and use,” says Isabelle Monnerais, head of the chemical risk area at the OPPBTP. “But the tool retains the same objective and the same targets. Namely, to assist companies in the construction-wood and furniture sector in reducing employee exposure to wood dust.

The guide proposes a method for achieving this and the simulator translates it into practice. The company is then able to assess the risk in relation to its machinery in the workshop. It obtains a map of the most emissive areas and can locate the exposure of each operator or groups of operators with similar exposure. This enables it to identify the major points for improvement and the concrete actions to be taken.