Construction Dust | Do You Need an M-Class or H-Class Vacuum?

Dust is one of the most common health hazards found on a construction site. When grinding, cutting, and drilling materials such as wood, MDF, and concrete, it’s important to take protective measures against dust exposure. This includes considering installing an effective dust extraction system, and wearing appropriate PPE, but what’s the best way to remove settled dust and debris from floors, work areas, and machinery?

What are the health risks of construction dust?

In the HSE work-related ill health statistics released in October 2023, the HSE estimated that 12,000 deaths each year are linked to occupational lung disease. The Labour Force Survey also estimated that there have been 19,000 new cases of occupational breathing or lung problems reported over the last three years.

Construction dust could be contributing towards these figures. Construction dust particles can be so fine, that if inhaled, particles can settle deep within the lungs. This can lead to serious health problems, including lung disease.

What does the HSE advise?

The HSE explain that "dry sweeping concrete dust and other building debris can produce high levels of dust". Sweeping with a broom disturbs settled dust, making it airborne, and more likely for workers to unwittingly inhale dangerous particles. Instead of a using a broom, it is advised to use a correct class of construction dust vacuum to collect settled dust and debris quickly and safely.

What is the difference between an M-Class Vacuum and H-Class Vacuum?

An M-Class vacuum is the legal minimum requirement advised by the HSE for vacuuming 'medium risk' hazardous dusts. M-Class vacuum cleaners have been designed to limit the risk of dust exposure by using filters which trap over 99.9% of the dust.

An H-Class vacuum is designed to collect 'high risk' hazardous and carcinogenic dust. An H-Class construction vacuum is often used on site when there is a risk of being exposed to toxic particles such as lead, mould, bacteria, and metals. The H-Class filter traps over 99.995% of dust.

As a general rule of thumb, if you are working with hard woods, board materials like MDF, concrete, or brick dust, you are likely to require an M-class vacuum. If you are working with lead, carbon, or other carcinogenic or toxic substances, you should use a H-class vacuum.

To accurately assess which class of vacuum you require, please see below:

• M-Class - Dusts with a workplace exposure limit TWA ≥ 0.1 mg/m³
• H-Class - Dusts with a workplace exposure limit TWA < 0.1 mg/m³

If you are unsure of the workplace exposure limit for the substance you are working with, you can look it up under 'EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits'. This document contains HSE approved WELS for over 500 common workplace substances, and is legally binding under COSHH. Failure to put suitable control measures in place to protect the health of workers could result in an improvement notice, a prohibition notice, fines and/ or imprisonment. If you are unsure of which construction dust vacuum suits the requirements of your project, book a free consultation and an RVT consultant will be able to advise you (free of charge).

How can RVT help?

We have a range of M-class and H-class construction dust vacuums available for hire including; DUSTEX® B2 Vacuum, DUSTEX® B3 Vacuum and DUSTEX® B4 Vacuum.

DUSTEX® B2 Vacuum - This powerful M Class wet or dry vacuum cleaner is suitable for vacuuming dust, solids, liquids, powders, oils and metal shavings, ideal for the general cleaning of floors and machinery on site. Watch video >

• It has a floor bar for cleaning large floor space.
• Incorporates a semi-automatic filter cleaning system.
• Allows the suction of dust and liquids without changing configuration.

DUSTEX® B3 Vacuum - A powerful industrial vacuum with an automatic filter-cleaning system, designed to collect high volumes of dust quickly. Find out more >

• Performs automatic filter cleaning.
• Multiple wand attachments are available for different applications.
• An alarm will indicate if the wrong setting is selected, the filter is full, or the hose is blocked.

DUSTEX® B4 Vacuum - This powerful M Class vacuum cleaner is designed to meet several construction site demands for managing dust. It can be used for on-tool dust extraction or for standard vacuum cleaning to collect settled dust and debris on site. Find out more >

• Includes two HEPA filters which achieve a 99.9% filter efficiency.
• As well as cleaning on site, it can also be used for on tool dust extraction.
• Large rear wheels guarantee excellent stability when in use across uneven ground.

More Information

If you’re unsure which construction dust vacuum is safe and compliant for your project, please contact RVT Group, and a technical consultant will be on hand to provide you with free best practice advice.

To view all dust control solutions, click here.

To download our Ban the Broom health and safety poster for your site, click here.