Battery facilities handle fine, often conductive powders such as graphite and metal oxides. Poor dust control risks health, contamination, and equipment failure. A practical, layered approach improves safety and product yield while supporting COSHH compliance.

Design for containment

Enclose high-emission steps like mixing, dosing and trimming. Maintain clean-to-dirty airflow across rooms and keep doors closed. Seal cable penetrations and provide make-up air to avoid backflow.

Capture at source

Fit process hoods, tool shrouds and LEV arms at dosing, transfer and cutting points. Use high-efficiency filtration (H13/H14) for respirable fractions and carcinogenic constituents. Keep duct runs short and smooth, and size extraction based on required capture velocity and tool demand. Verify under-load airflow after filter changes.

Control in the air

Use air scrubbers or negative air machines to reduce background particulate and maintain directional flow. Position intakes near emission zones and exhaust to a safe area or central filtration.

Housekeeping and maintenance

Do not sweep. Use industrial vacuums with suitable filtration to remove settled dust from floors, machinery and racking. Wipe high-touch surfaces with damp methods, and double-bag waste. Schedule filter checks, inspect gaskets and seals, and implement a clear spill protocol with dedicated tools.

Quality and verification

Trend particulate with a PM meter in critical rooms and during high-risk tasks. Link spikes to specific operations and adjust capture or sequencing. Keep task records to demonstrate control and improve planning.

Practical takeaways

• Enclose dusty steps and maintain clean-to-dirty airflow.
• Use LEV with H13/H14 filtration; confirm under-load performance.
• Deploy air scrubbers or negative air to stabilise background levels.
• Vacuum-only housekeeping; damp wipe and double-bag waste.
• Trend PM data to refine controls and support COSHH documentation.

Applied consistently, these controls protect people and product performance in modern battery operations.