Road Planing and Milling Dust

Road planing machines remove asphalt and concrete road surfaces, generating large volumes of dust and debris.
The dust contains respirable crystalline silica from the aggregate and bitumen fume from the heated milling drum.
Planing machines operate on live carriageways with traffic management, creating vehicle strike hazards for the crew.
The milling drum rotates at high speed with tungsten carbide picks that project fragments at velocity.
Dust clouds from planing reduce visibility for the operator and following traffic on live roads.
Water spray systems on the planing machine suppress dust at the drum but require constant monitoring.
Workers walking behind the planer to check depth and sweep the surface inhale the highest dust concentrations.
Old road surfaces may contain coal tar binder with higher PAH content than modern petroleum bitumen.
COSHH 2002 requires assessment of dust and fume exposure for all workers involved in planing operations.
The noise from planing machines regularly exceeds 100 dB, requiring hearing protection for all nearby workers.

Silica and cancer	Planing dust contains respirable silica causing silicosis and lung cancer with repeated unprotected exposure.
Coal tar exposure	Old road surfaces bound with coal tar generate fume with higher carcinogenic PAH levels during planing.
Vehicle strike	Planing crews on live roads with reduced visibility from dust are at increased risk of being struck.

Do

Don't

Ensure the planing machine water spray system is working before operations start.
Monitor water spray output throughout the shift and refill tanks before they empty.
Wear RPE when walking behind or beside the planing machine during operation.
Use hearing protection within the noise zone around the planing machine.
Maintain full traffic management between the planing crew and live traffic.
Test for coal tar binder on old road surfaces before planing begins.
Position yourself upwind of the dust plume where possible during operations.
Keep the planing depth consistent to avoid exposing underlying contaminated layers.
Brief the crew on the dust, noise, and traffic hazards before each shift.
Dispose of planed material containing coal tar as controlled or hazardous waste.

DON'T operate the planing machine with the water spray system switched off or empty.
DON'T walk behind the planer without RPE to protect against dust and fume.
DON'T remove hearing protection while within the noise zone of the planing machine.
DON'T plane roads with coal tar binder without enhanced COSHH controls in place.
DON'T allow dust clouds to drift into live traffic lanes without additional measures.
DON'T stand in front of the milling drum where projected fragments can strike you.
DON'T dispose of coal tar planed material in standard road recycling skips.
DON'T eat, drink, or smoke in the immediate area of planing dust and fume.
DON'T ignore the water spray system alarm indicating low tank level.
DON'T plane at night without adequate lighting for the operator and ground crew.

See also: Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) | Machine Laying Asphalt Safety

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