Chippings in the loft

[Mike em]

Hi All,

I've started to do the prep work for topping up the loft insulation as there was only 100mm of it and in one part of the loft I came across a bucket-load of wood chippings and was curious can I cover it with the next layer of insulation or do I need to clean it up first?
I already collected about 2 bin bags of it and there plenty more left.
I don't think it serves any actual purpose and it probably was left there by the builders to save the time on cleaning it up?
Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Remove

 

[Mike em]

Considering it would take me probably extra half a day to clear it would you mind elaborating why do you recommend to remove it? Fire hazard, insulation efficiency degradation, any other reason?

 

[flameport]

Fire hazard, will be attractive to vermin who will make a nest out of it, and won't do much for insulation either.

 

[Tigercubrider]

I would buy a wet/dry vac for £60/70 and suck them up. Probably worth a HEPA bag and wearing a mask.
way less work

 

[Mike em]

Thanks all.
I'm already using wet/dry vac but with the amount of these chippings I would spend fortune on bags.
I have 3 already filled up 3 big rubble bags and not even half way through it.

What I'm also baffled is where all these chippings could come from, any ideas? I understand some of it could come when builders in the past were cutting something here, but not probably 10+ big rubble bags.
It's like someone opened up a wood shop up here

 

[opps]

I would buy a wet/dry vac for £60/70 and suck them up. Probably worth a HEPA bag and wearing a mask.
way less work

Whilst I agree that a vacuum will help to remove the finer stuff, isn't the point of a HEPA filter that you won't need mask?

That said, when I was lying in hospital for two weeks with pneumonia last year, I over heard the medical team telling the guy in the bed opposite that they had removed a wooden splinter from his lung. So yeah, on reflection, I would go with the mask recommendation.