Safe woodworking practice
Ensure you have adequate ventilation when you work. Avoid exposing yourself to treated timber, especially the sawdust and use adequate protection: goggles, a mask that has effective and clean filters; overalls; and gloves whenever handling or sawing timber.
Ensure you take off your work gear outside the house at the end of your work day, this includes your shoes. You should wash your work clothing separately to other garments. This way you avoid unnecessarily exposing your partner or family to these toxins.
Do not compost or mulch CCA treated timber or sawdust.
Dust management
Avoid feather dusters and brooms that can re-suspend dust, instead use fiber technology; the hooks in the fabric catch the dust particles so you can thoughtfully dispose of the dust collected in your house.
It is advisable to use a vacuum that has a High Efficiency Particle Arrester (HEPA) filter.
Reduce CCA contact and exposure
Make sure you wash your hands after contact with contaminated wood, especially before eating, smoking or drinking.
And most importantly, don't place food on CCA treated timber, (eg. picnic tables, verandas or decks) Also, avoid storing food, toys or animal feed in anything made of CCA treated timber or under the decking.
Applying paint, penetrating stains or sealant can help to provide a barrier between your skin and CCA treated timber decking.
But the best advise is to avoid using CCA treated timber, and use alternatives to CCA-treated wood around the home.
Don't allow CCA treated timber to come into contact with drinking water and keep animal feeding areas away from CCA treated timber.
Move vegetables away from CCA treated timber
Avoid using treated timber as support stakes for fruit or vegetables and as veggie patch boundaries.
If you already have CCA treated timber place a plastic liner between the soil and timber. As a final measure you can replace the contaminated soil.
Disposal of CCA treated timber
Never burn CCA treated timber! It releases toxic chemicals in the smoke and ashes.
Don't use CCA treated timber sawdust for animal bedding or vegetable gardens.
