Flour dust is both a respiratory and cleanliness challenge in bakeries. It is highly inhalable, settles on equipment, and can be combustible in certain conditions. Practical extraction and housekeeping protect staff, product quality, and compliance with COSHH (HSE WEL for flour dust: 10 mg/m³ 8‑hr TWA; 30 mg/m³ 15‑min).

Design handling to prevent escape

• Keep drop heights low and enclose transfers with sleeves or chutes; close lids on mixers and sifters.
• Use bag slitters or tip stations with local extraction rather than free-pouring.
• Dose liquids slowly to reduce fluffing at the hopper or bowl.

Local exhaust ventilation at key points

Fit capture hoods to bag tipping, weighing, sieving, and de-panning positions. Aim to place the hood edge within a hand’s breadth of the dust source. Connect to continuous-duty extraction with high-efficiency filtration (HEPA H13/H14 final stage) and antistatic ducting to minimise deposits. Verify airflow under load and maintain filter-cleaning to keep capture stable across shifts.

Air cleaning for the room

Supplement LEV with air scrubbers to reduce background particulate, especially around mixing and packaging. Select H13/H14 units sized to room volume and duty cycle; consider recirculation in food-safe areas to avoid make-up air issues. Low-noise, energy-efficient units from ranges like MAXVAC can run continuously without disrupting production.

Housekeeping that avoids re-aerosolising

• Prohibit dry sweeping. Use industrial vacuums with high-efficiency filtration and food-grade accessories; finish with damp wiping.
• Set short, frequent cleaning intervals at known spill points (e.g., bag tips, sifters).
• Empty collection containers before performance drops; seal and label waste.

Hygiene and verification

Separate allergen flours and clean between changeovers. Use simple PM trend checks to confirm controls and support investigations when counts drift. Keep records of maintenance, filter changes, and corrective actions.

Practical takeaways

• Enclose and shorten flour transfers; keep lids shut.
• LEV hoods at tipping, weighing, and sieving with verified under-load airflow.
• Run H13/H14 air scrubbers in busy zones to cut background PM.
• Vacuum, don’t sweep; schedule high-frequency cleans at spill points.
• Document maintenance and use PM trends to validate controls.

These measures reduce inhalable dust, keep lines cleaner, and support consistent product quality.