Masonry tasks generate high levels of respirable dust, including silica. Control must be built into the method, not left to PPE. Here is how to set up extraction that works in the real world.

Brick cutting

• Preferred: cut outdoors with water suppression and wind at your back. Keep bystanders upwind.
• On-tool control: fit the correct saw or grinder shroud and connect an industrial extractor with strong airflow under load.
• Feed rate: slow slightly to keep the plume inside the guard; let the extractor do the work.

Mortar raking

• Water is rarely practical. Use a tight shroud matched to the raking wheel and maintain a good skirt seal.
• Containment: indoors, add an air scrubber or establish negative pressure with simple sheeting and ducting.
• Housekeeping: vacuum joints and ledges as you go to stop re-agitation.

Concrete grinding

• Use a floating shroud with adjustable height so the brush just touches the slab.
• Keep the pad flat and avoid aggressive passes that overwhelm capture.
• Plan cable and hose routes to prevent kinks that starve airflow.

Filtration, equipment and checks

• For RCS risk, use H-class extraction with an H14 final stage. Auto filter cleaning helps maintain consistent flow.
• Test under load with a brief pass; if dust escapes, improve the seal, reduce feed rate, or step up extraction.
• Where space is tight, add an air scrubber to manage background dust. A MAXVAC extractor paired with compatible shrouds can provide robust on-tool capture when correctly set up.
• Finish with vacuuming, not sweeping; bag waste at source.

Practical takeaways

• Design the method around on-tool capture; use water outdoors where suitable.
• Select H14 filtration for respirable silica and maintain filters.
• Verify capture under load and adjust feed rate before blaming the tool.
• Add air scrubbers for indoor work and keep housekeeping continuous.

Measure occasionally with a particulate monitor to confirm controls are working and to brief the team with real numbers, supporting COSHH compliance.