Dusty influence research in final woodworking companies

Activities in furniture woodworking companies are accompanied with dust pollution, which could cause damage for the workers' health. The differences between the dust concentration in woodworking place and the allowed concentration, have been researched and also the influence of air conveyor work, the kind of working machine or wood species, on these differences. According to Croatian law, the allowed (standard) total wood dust concentration of oak and beech should not exceed 3 mg/m3 and respirable concentration 1 mg/m3. The mass concentration of wood dust was determined by measuring the weight of respirable and overall dust samples, collected in four woodworking companies with three pairs of filters in two different cases. The first, when the air conveyors were on and then when they were off. The use of the air conveyor as a dust cleaner with working machines considerably decreases the mass concentration or dust in a working place compared to the standard value. The two-sided profile saw produced more dust than the vertical or widebelt sanding machine. According to the new and old German law and samples of overall dust the portable belt sander produced more dust than the disc sanding machine. During the machining of beechwood and different types of boards, the level of respiratory dust quantity is higher than during sprucewood machining.