Are You Meeting HSE Standards on Flour Dust?

In early 2026, HSE announced it would be carrying out a series of inspections at large bakeries across Great Britain to check employers are properly protecting workers from exposure to flour dust.

Is your bakery prepared for an inspection? In this article we explore why flour dust is so serious, what to expect from a HSE inspection, common mistakes we see, the implications of failing to comply and and how engineering controls can support.

Why is Flour Dust so Serious?

Flour dust is a fine, airborne powder that poses two significant risks:

1. Workers Breathing in Flour Dust

The biggest risk for workers is inhaling the fine airborne particles, causing irritation to the nose, throat and lungs, which can lead to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Long-term exposure can lead to occupational asthma which is sometimes referred to as 'baker's asthma'.

Exposure to certain dusty ingredients can lead to occupational asthma, a serious and potentially life-changing condition, with flour dust being one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain. Source: HSE

2. Potential of an Explosion

Flour dust is highly flammable, and when particles are left to spread within the atmosphere, they can be exposed to compounds and ignite. If working within a confined space, this risk is heightened as a small spark is enough under the right conditions to lead to irreversible damage.

Flour Dust Focus for HSE Inspections

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced a series of inspections would be carried out across large bakeries across the country to tackle exposure to flour dust. In these inspections, HSE will be looking at what dust control measures are in place, whether the business is following Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) regulations, the safe handling of flour, and health surveillance steps for workers.

Workplace Exposure Limits for Flour Dust

Within COSHH regulations, flour dust has a short-term work exposure limit of 30mg/m³ averaged over 15 minutes, and long-term of 10mg/m³ averaged over 8 hours. However, HSE believes with good practices in place, you can achieve less than 2mg/m³ averaged over 8 hours. As flour dust is an asthmagen, exposure to it should be well below these levels as is reasonably practical.

Considering the Hierarchy of Control

Managing flour dust exposure is crucial to protecting people's health. Below are the controls to consider within the hierarchy of control:

Elimination: Whilst often not a suitable option for a bakery, exploring if the elimination of a process is possible is crucial when trying to protect people's health.

Substitution: Consider using materials in liquid form instead of powders, or change technique to reduce dust becoming airborne. Is it reasonable to substitute the harmful materials with safer alternatives such as low-dust wheat flour or less-allergenic substances like rice flour.

Engineering Controls: Effective controls such as local exhaust ventilation (LEV), or ventilation allows for a safe working environment, extracting hazards from source and preventing it from becoming hazardous.

Administrative Controls: Look to implement safe working procedures, for example no tipping flour dust from height, training staff about the risks, job rotations to limit time spent in dusty areas, and signage and supervision.

PPE: Personal protective equipment is the last line of defence. It can be an effective control is staff have proper face-fitting tests and training for storage and handling of PPE.

Whilst not a part of the hierarchy of controls, health surveillance is crucial to monitor worker's health and catch early signs of problems such as a persistent cough or shortness of breath that could be leading to occupational asthma.

Common Mistakes We See

Relying on PPE- We often see a heavy reliance on PPE, which is good for protecting eyes from irritation, or skin contact during high-exposure tasks, however, PPE should be a last resort and be used in conjunction with an engineering control.

Lingering Dust from Poor Ventilation Systems- Whilst having an extraction system in place is good, one that's not fit for purpose, building up dust in storage, or used incorrectly is not worth using at all. Out of date systems that have been neglected will often mean dust has built up in the ducting.

Consequences of Getting it Wrong

Flour dust control within a bakery is of utmost importance, and there's serious consequences to not doing so. In the UK, HSE will fine companies for failing to control flour dust, with fines ranging from thousands, to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

In 2019, HSE fined a bakery £159,080 after workers were exposed to flour dust for years and some developed asthma. (Source: click here)

Prosecution is usually pursued when companies breach the Health and Safety Act 1974, or COSHH regulations, with common failures being unsuitable extraction or ventilation systems being used.

RVT Group's Engineering Controls

Here at RVT Group, we have experience with supporting many industries with specialist hazard control hire solutions. As a trusted supplier to many leading names in the industry such as Hovis, you can be sure you are in safe hands and receiving the best solutions to your challenges. Some of our dust control hire solutions include:

DUSTEX® D4 Extractor ATEX

This Zone 22 certified mobile unit is suitable for an array of applications. When used with a capture hood, it successfully extract dusts from one location, however, when connected to a distributor box with spigot connections, it can extract from multiple locations simultaneously.

DUSTEX® Superfilta

Designed to be used with our VENTEX® 450S Centrifugal Fan, the Superfilta provides a powerful, at source dust control solution. It supports with creating either a positive or negative pressure, making it suitable for a sensitive bakery environment and preventing dust migration.

DUSTEX® D5 ATEX

Multi-station dust extraction unit is suitable for use within potentially explosive atmospheres, including environments like a bakery creating flour dust. When connected to a distributor box with multiple spigots, you can extract airborne flour dust from various locations at the same time.

Benefits of Hiring from RVT Group

When looking to hire engineering controls, your top priority should be to ensure compliance and the protection of your people and working environment. RVT Group provide just that, plus much more. Below are the key benefits hiring from us:

Our Technical Understanding of Hazard Control

We have specialist consultants who can ensure you have the best solution to your challenge. We never provide an off the shelf solution, we have a variety of fans, ducting, filters and optional extras that can modular to your exact requirements.

Free Hazard Control Assessments

We can visit your bakery and carry out an assessment, identifying hazards in your processes or systems and recommend the best solution to rectify these. Our focus is always protecting your people and the surrounding environment.

Compliance and Regulation Awareness

All of our solutions are compliant with the latest regulations and compliance, and all of our consultants are BOHS trained, along with many other recognised qualifications.

Flexibility

• Storage - We will deliver and install the solution for when you need it, and collect when you are finished. No hassle with storage.
• Scalability - Our equipment can be scaled up or down depending on your requirements.
• Maintenance and Repair - All of our equipment is serviced before it goes out for hire, giving you peace of mind. Should you encounter a challenge with our equipment whilst it is on hire, we can have one of our engineers on site within 24 hours ensuring you have minimal downtime.