Body repair bays produce fine dust from sanding fillers, primers, plastics, and metal grinding. Without control, dust migrates into paint areas and offices, harming health and quality. A layered approach keeps exposures down and rework to a minimum.

Organise the bay for clean airflow

• Zone sanding away from paint and office doors; keep a single, short waste route.
• Establish airflow from clean to dirty areas. Where practical, run slight negative pressure in sanding zones to prevent migration.
• Use curtains or soft partitions to contain eddies around the task.

Capture at source on tools and benches

Orbital sanders and sanding blocks should connect to industrial vacuums with high-efficiency filtration (H-class with HEPA H13/H14 final stage for fine particulates). Use antistatic hoses to prevent cling and maintain capture. Check under-load flow; auto filter-cleaning helps keep extraction stable over long cycles. For small parts, use downdraught benches or articulated LEV arms positioned 100–150 mm from the work surface.

Grinding and cutting

• Fit guards and shrouds; use matched extraction collars on grinders where available.
• Do not vacuum hot swarf; allow to cool and then collect safely.

Control airborne dust in the bay

Run an air scrubber with HEPA H14 filtration continuously during sanding. Size to the room volume and duty cycle; avoid quoting free-airflow. Consider exhausting outside to create negative pressure, subject to local permissions. A compact MAXVAC air scrubber can assist with continuous particulate reduction between tasks.

Housekeeping that protects finishes

• No blow-down with compressed air. Vacuum surfaces, shelves, and floors using brushless nozzles; finish with tack wipes on sensitive panels.
• Schedule short, frequent cleans to stop filter overloads and prevent visible build-up.
• Use sealed bins and remove waste at the end of each shift.

Verification and PPE

Use a particulate monitor to check PM1–PM10 trends and set clean-down triggers. Provide RPE appropriate to the task (e.g., FFP3 where needed) with face-fit and checks. Note: isocyanates from spraying are fumes, not dust, and need separate controls.

Practical takeaways

• Position LEV close to sanding; keep hoses short and antistatic.
• Choose H-class vacuums with HEPA H13/H14 and auto filter-cleaning.
• Run H14 air scrubbers and aim for slight negative pressure in sanding zones.
• Vacuum, don’t blow; set frequent, short housekeeping cycles.
• Track PM levels to confirm controls are effective.

These steps cut airborne particulate, protect finishes, and keep the bay compliant under COSHH.