Hazardous dusts in the workplace: why professional cleaning is part of prevention

Choosing the right cleaning equipment plays a vital role in preventing the build-up and spread of hazardous dusts in industrial environments. Eureka’s industrial sweepers and scrubber-dryers provide specific solutions for collecting and removing the dust that accumulates on floors, helping to prevent its return to the air, and complementing other preventative measures in the workplace.

The substance of INAIL’s 2026 “Technical guide on hazardous dusts”, and how to choose the most suitable cleaning systems for industrial environments

The dust to be removed from industrial environments is often more than just dirt. In certain production processes, dust can pose a genuine risk to workers’ health and safety, particularly if it contains hazardous substances or particles that are fine enough to remain suspended in the air and be inhaled.
This is the subject of the 2026 “Technical guide on hazardous dusts”, published by INAIL with the collaboration of CONFIMI Industria and AFIDAMP-FINCO. The guide focuses on “Strategies and technical measures for containing and removing hazardous dusts in the workplace”.The document examines risks and regulations along with dust collection, suction and filtration systems, and also highlights a particularly important principle for all those involved in professional cleaning: where dust generation cannot be eliminated at source, it is essential to stop dust spreading and to remove build-ups by means of appropriate cleaning procedures and equipment.

Hazardous dusts: a risk affecting many sectors

The data published in the guide show just how significant the problem of dust is. The sectors most directly affected by cases of recognised occupational disease attributed to dust are: construction (46%), agri-food (24%), timber (11%) and metalworking (10%). Not all dusts, however, are the same. Variations in particle size, concentration, composition and chemical and physical properties lead to different levels of risk. For this reason, the guide repeatedly emphasises the need for specific risk assessment to identify the prevention and protection measures best suited to each individual workplace.

The first rule: control dust at source

The primary objective must be to prevent, as far as possible, dust from being released into the environment.
Where it is simply impossible to eliminate the production of dust, the guide recommends the installation of ventilation, filtration and collection systems at the source in order to minimise the concentration of breathable contaminants in the air.
Tackling the root cause does not, of course, solve the problem entirely.

Preventing dust from building up on surfaces

One of the most interesting sections in the guide specifically addresses the need to establish cleaning procedures using appropriate equipment, with the aim of preventing the build-up and accumulation of dust.
This principle is extremely important: do not wait until dust has built up to the point of becoming clearly visible before taking action.
From an operational perspective, this means establishing a regular cleaning regime consistent with the identified level of risk, and taking action before a significant quantity of dust accumulates.

How Eureka controls dust during sweeping

Designing an effective sweeper means treating the whole machine as a system.
The components of Eureka industrial sweepers work in synergy to facilitate the collection of debris and to minimise dust dispersion during cleaning operations.
The side brushes can be activated individually, allowing the operator to use them only when necessary to avoid needlessly stirring up fine dust.
The main brush uses MultiBristle technology – bristles of varying diameters arranged in a chevron pattern – to pick up dirt of different particle sizes and direct it towards the centre of the machine, thus improving dust collection and minimising dispersion from the sides. The sturdy construction of the brush also ensures good contact with the ground.
In addition, the large, washable, M class, Multipocket filter maintains consistent, high-performance filtration over time, and is complemented by a vacuum fan of suitable size for the machine’s capacity and performance. The filter shaking system can be manual, electrically powered or automatic, depending on model.
Again depending on model, additional dust containment systems may also be used in particularly dusty applications. These include spray nozzles on the side brushes, dedicated dust guards and enclosed, air-conditioned cabs to optimise working conditions for the operator.
The point we are making, therefore, is never to judge a sweeper on the basis of a single component, but to consider how the brush, suction, filtration and containment systems work together.

Suction or washing: why the two approaches can complement each other

The guide devotes an entire chapter to the technologies and machines that help prevent exposure and minimise contamination, including mobile professional and industrial suction systems, dust extractors and centralised cleaning systems.
Alongside dry suction, wet cleaning can also play an important role.
This is where professional scrubber-dryers come into their own.
A scrubber-dryer uses water and, where necessary, a detergent solution to clean the floor, then immediately recovers the dirty water via its suction system. This allows dirt and debris that previous sweeping may not have completely removed to be scrubbed from the floor.

Cleaning more effectively means organising your work more effectively

Choosing the right professional machines impacts more than the quality of results.
Effective mechanisation reduces the time needed to clean large floors, optimises the deployment of employees and makes procedures more consistent and repeatable compared to exclusively manual methods.
In industrial settings, this leads to better resource management and lower operating costs, and above all to the ability to perform cleaning more regularly.
And it is precisely regular cleaning that is key when the aim is not merely to remove visible dirt, but to prevent dust and dirt from building up in the workplace.

Cleanliness and safety: two objectives that are increasingly closely linked

The conclusions of the Technical guide reveal a clear international trend: exposure limits are becoming more restrictive and there is a growing emphasis on dust control at source.
For businesses, this means looking at cleaning from a different perspective.
Professional sweepers, scrubber-dryers and suction systems are not just tools for achieving a visually clean floor. Provided they are chosen and used correctly, they can form part of a broader strategy to control contaminants and build-ups, improve efficiency, and protect the people who work in production environments.

Main source: “Technical guide on hazardous dusts – Strategies and technical measures for containing and removing hazardous dusts in the workplace”, published by INAIL, 2026.
The publication points out that the views expressed are those of the authors and should not be taken as representing the official position of INAIL.