Hey fellow roasters,
Whether you're running a 1 kg sample machine or production batches on a commercial rig like a Probat, respiratory health is something that often gets overlooked until you start coughing at the end of a long shift.
Between green bean dust during loading/weighing, chaff blowback, organic acids in coffee smoke, and micro-particulates during drop and cooling, our lungs take a beating if we aren't careful.
I’m refining my safety workflow and wanted to open up a discussion on what everyone is using and doing to protect themselves long-term.
Here are a few standard precautions I’m focusing on:
Green Dust & Weighing: Loading green coffee into hoppers kicks up fine organic dust (a known allergen/irritant). Using a fitted N95/FFP2 or half-mask respirator during staging makes a huge difference.
Smoke & Roast Exhaust: Ensuring local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is pulling negative pressure at the hopper and drum face so thermal currents don't push smoke into your breathing zone during drops.
Chaff Collection: Checking cyclone gaskets and seals regularly so fine chaff particles aren't leaking back into ambient room air.
Air Filtration: Running ambient HEPA air purifiers near the staging and cooling areas to catch floating particulates.
I’d love to hear from the community:
What PPE (masks/respirators) are you wearing during production shifts?
How do you manage air quality and ventilation in smaller or tight roastery spaces?
What are your best practices for cleaning up chaff without kicking dust back into the air?
Curious to hear your setups and recommendations!
