Engineering Controls

Engineering controls are ways of altering an environment to reduce a hazard. The two main types of engineering controls for cotton dust are ventilation and dust collection systems.

Ventilation lowers the concentration of cotton dust in the air by bringing in fresh air and filtering old air, much like a house's air conditioning system. If ventilation is used to control cotton dust, the ventilation equipment must be checked regularly to make sure that it effectively removes cotton dust. This is important because an ineffective ventilation system can sometimes increase cotton dust exposure by simply stirring cotton dust through the air.

Dust collection systems are machine attachments that can reduce cotton dust exposure by collecting the cotton dust at its source. These systems can work much like the sawdust collection systems in a woodshop where dust falls downward through a system of tubes; or like spray paint fume hoods, which cover and isolate machinery and pull the surrounding air upward with a vacuum.

Depending on the size of the room and the type of operations being done, either control or both may be necessary.

To learn more about Cotton Dust Safety visit our Cal/OSHA Cotton Dust Safety Online Training web page.