Furniture maker told to stop sweeping factory with broom

A FURNITURE maker has been told by health and safety officials to stop sweeping the floor of his factory and use an industrial vacuum instead.

Michael Northcroft, 63, said he had been urged to abandon sweeping with a broom because it could cause harm to his 10 workers.

Mr Northcroft was told by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that it exposed his employees to “a substance hazardous to health, namely airborne wood dust”.

The 63-year-old called the advice “a load of rubbish” and said he planned to continue to sweep his factory in Leyton, east London.

“I’ve been managing factories for over 40 years and never have I come across such a joke,“he told The Sun.

“I’ve been told I have to ban the use of dry-sweeping and must confirm with them by a particular date that I’ve complied. If I ignore these guys it will get pretty heavy – but I’m up for the fight. I’m going to pick up my broom and get back to work.”

Work-related lung disease accounts for 12,000 deaths per year and exposure to high levels of wood dust is one of the direct causes of occupational asthma and nasal cancer in the woodworking industry, the HSE has said.

Mr Northcroft, who says his customers include Theresa May and Adele, the singer, said he had been sent a letter telling him to “prohibit” dry-sweeping and to provide evidence of compliance. He was also charged £154 an hour for the two-hour inspection of his factory this month due to a “material breach of health and safety law”.

He said the HSE’S website showed a large yard broom with stiff bristles “kicking up dust”. He added: “Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows brooms should be pushed and kept on the floor. Use a nice short one with soft bristles – just like mine.” He said commercial vacuums also posed a risk, with power cables “running everywhere”.

A statement from the HSE said it had not banned the use of broomsticks in the workplace. “We’ve advised this employer on how to better protect his workers’ health, such as improving his vacuum filters to significantly reduce dust exposure.” It added that it was encouraging companies to use safer and more efficient types of equipment.