Flour dust, baker's asthma and the indoor climate in the bakery

There is a reason flour dust is taken seriously in bakeries. The fine flour that swirls up when you pour sift or knead contains proteins and enzymes the body can develop allergies to. Over time it can lead to baker's asthma — an occupational respiratory disease that in the worst case can cost a baker their career.

§The limit value for flour dust

The Labour Authority has set a limit value for flour dust of 3 mg/m³ of air. Measurements have shown that a craft bakery during dough production can be around 2.9 mg/m³ — quite close to the limit — while large bread factories can be far higher. The concern is that baker's allergy can develop even at levels below the limit value so the goal is always to get the dust as low as absolutely possible.

§How the nature of the material determines the method

• 01Pour flour low and gently — avoid 'throwing' flour so it dusts up.
• 02Use spot extraction at flour weighing and mixing machines where possible.
• 03Sift closed containers and avoid knocking dust off clothes and machines with compressed air.
• 04Clean with vacuum cleaner or damp cloth rather than sweeping or blowing dust up.
• 05Choose flour products with low dust formation where it makes sense.

§Other respiratory and indoor air conditions

Beyond flour dust, there is heat, steam and aromas from ovens that affect indoor air. Good ventilation and extraction over ovens is therefore both a comfort and a health issue. Ergonomics ties it all together: a baker who has difficulty breathing does not work safely.

§APV and prevention

The workplace assessment (APV) is the company's tool for systematically finding and solving work environment problems — and flour dust is an obvious point. The Labour Authority's guidance recommends mapping where dust is created and intervening there. As an apprentice you have both the right and the duty to draw attention to problems you experience.

Baker's Asthma Develops Gradually Over Months and Years, and Damage Can Become Permanent. For This Very Reason, Good Habits Must Come From Your First Day in Apprenticeship — not Something You Wait On Until Your Lungs Start Protesting.

“Flour dust you cannot see is still flour dust you breathe in. The best protection is to prevent it from swirling up.”

— Occupational health and safety principle in the bakery trade