We have previously written about managing dust on construction sites (you can read this article HERE). In this article, we look at the different dust extraction classes and how to understand what products you need to keep you safe.
Understanding dust extraction classes: L, M and H
Dust extraction classes indicate how hazardous the dust they remove is, which means they can guide you in choosing the right vacuum cleaner for your workspace.
Class L: Less Harmful Dust
Includes common dust like household dust, sand, plaster, and chalk, often seen during building clean-up.
Class M: Moderately Harmful Dust
Class M handles more harmful dusts such as wood and metal shavings, and paint particles. You'll commonly find this type of dust in carpentry, painting, or metalworking.
Class H: Highly Harmful Dust
Class H is for the most harmful dusts, including carcinogenic substances like asbestos, mould spores, and mineral fibres, as well as tiny particles like flour dust. These are typical in high-risk jobs such as asbestos removal or installing heating systems.
Identifying dust classes in various construction settings
It's important to know what kind of dust you'll face in your work environment. The table below gives a quick guide to identify the dust extraction classes you might encounter. For example, a roofer might come across household dust (Class L), wood dust (Class M), and asbestos dust (Class H) all in one day.
| Job Type | Dust Type | Relevant Dust Classes |
| Building Cleaning (Maintenance) | House Dust | L |
| Roofing | Old Mineral Fibres, Quartz Dust | L, M, H |
| Electrical | Quartz Dust, Asbestos, Plaster | L, M, H |
| Painting | Lead/Chrome Paint Dust, Putty | L, M, H |
| Metalworking | Metal Dust, Plastics, Paint Particles | M, H |
| Vehicle Mechanics | Rust, Abrasion Materials, Paint Dusts | M, H |
| Heating Engineering | Mineral Dust, Asbestos, Rust | M, H |
| Masonry & Concrete | Quartz-Containing Mineral Dust | H |
| Asbestos Removal | Asbestos Fibres | H |
| Drywall | Mineral Dust, Plaster | H |
| Stonemasonry | Quartz-Containing Mineral Dust | H |
Choosing the right dust extraction equipment
The type of dust you frequently deal with can impact your health. To lower risks and protect the environment, choose a professional vacuum cleaner or dust extractor with the right dust filter. Here we take a look at the products you can hire from Alliance Tool Hire to help you minimise the risk of dust on construction.
Industrial vacuum cleaners: Deposited dust (L)
Industrial vacuum cleaners are only used to extract deposited dust, and therefore good for dust extraction class L, the least hazardous dust extraction class. You can choose from our range of wet / dry vacuum cleaners, the most powerful being the Triple Motor Industrial Vacuum Cleaner – SPE 380, which has three H-Class filters, minimises your exposure when clearing deposited dust.
Dust extractors: Capturing dust at the source (M and L)
Dust extractors directly capture most dust and dirt in classes M and L at source, because they are connected directly to the tool you are using, such as a cut-off saw. Dust extractors also issue a visual or acoustic warning if the dirt exposure for the user is increased. For dust extraction class M, we offer two Hilti and a Makita Vacuum.
- Hilti VC 20 M-X Small Dust Extraction Unit 110v designed to connect to Hilti diamond grinders, cut-off saws, rotary hammers, and diamond core drills.
- Hilti VC 40M-X Industrial Vacuum Unit 110v dust extraction from grinding, cutting, slitting, drilling and dry coring tools. This unit has double the capacity of the smaller unit, ideal for longer usage.
- Makita M-Class Dust Extraction Vacuum, VC4210M, 110V can be easily connected to electric drills, sanders or cutting tools.
Air Cleaners: Minimising hazardous airborne dust (H)
These extractors are designed to complement source extraction and suction casings on construction sites in areas that are particularly hazardous where you need extra protection. The DC Aircube is considered the gold standard of dust extraction units. Its H-Class HEPA 13 microfilter removes hazardous particles from the atmosphere, such as silica dust or wood dust, and it can be left running to pick up any additional dust particles for maximum safety onsite.
