Blast rooms accumulate fine dust on rafters, lights, ducting, and media handling gear. Cleaning must remove this load without pushing particles into other areas or back into workers’ breathing zones.

Prepare the space

Stop blasting and allow dust to settle. Keep the room under negative pressure and lock-out plant that could disturb deposits. Brief the team on the route and roles—top-down, clean-to-dirty, and out via the dirty exit.

Vacuum-first, top-down method

Start on overheads with anti-static tools and long-reach poles. Work systematically toward walls, then down to equipment and floors. Avoid sweeping and compressed air. Use industrial vacuums with high-efficiency filtration suitable for fine particulate; where robust continuous-duty kit is needed, Supra vacuums can support vacuum-first cleaning routines.

Waste capture and transfer

Bag-out directly from the vacuum or empties into sealed containers. Label waste and segregate where coatings or silica are present. Seal full containers before moving them out of the negative-pressure zone to prevent trails.

Airborne control during cleaning

Run air scrubbers or negative air units with H14 filtration throughout the clean to catch the inevitable disturbance. Place them to pull air away from workers and towards extraction points. Verify airflow under load and monitor pressure drops across filters.

Re-entry check

When finished, let the air clear, then do a final pass on touch points. Use a particulate monitor to confirm airborne levels are stable. For materials with RCS or lead, align with COSHH assessments and RPE requirements.

Practical takeaways

• Keep negative pressure on and let dust settle before starting.
• Clean top-down with vacuum-only methods and anti-static tools.
• Seal waste at source and move it through dirty exits only.
• Run H14-filtered scrubbers during and after the clean.
• Use PM readings to confirm the room is ready for work.

A disciplined, vacuum-first routine protects people and prevents recontamination—turning blast room cleaning from a dusty reset into a controlled process.