diff --git a/components/CMakeLists.txt b/components/CMakeLists.txt
index 5a4ec605b..8ce770657 100644
--- a/components/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ add_component_dir (resource
     )
 
 add_component_dir (sceneutil
-    clone attach lightmanager visitor util statesetupdater controller skeleton riggeometry lightcontroller
+    clone attach lightmanager visitor util statesetupdater controller skeleton riggeometry lightcontroller workqueue
     )
 
 add_component_dir (nif
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/workqueue.cpp b/components/sceneutil/workqueue.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a709eae85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/sceneutil/workqueue.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+#include "workqueue.hpp"
+
+namespace SceneUtil
+{
+
+void WorkTicket::waitTillDone()
+{
+    if (mDone > 0)
+        return;
+
+    OpenThreads::ScopedLock<OpenThreads::Mutex> lock(mMutex);
+    while (mDone == 0)
+    {
+        mCondition.wait(&mMutex);
+    }
+}
+
+void WorkTicket::signalDone()
+{
+    OpenThreads::ScopedLock<OpenThreads::Mutex> lock(mMutex);
+    mDone.exchange(1);
+    mCondition.broadcast();
+}
+
+WorkItem::WorkItem()
+    : mTicket(new WorkTicket)
+{
+}
+
+WorkItem::~WorkItem()
+{
+}
+
+void WorkItem::doWork()
+{
+    mTicket->signalDone();
+}
+
+osg::ref_ptr<WorkTicket> WorkItem::getTicket()
+{
+    return mTicket;
+}
+
+WorkQueue::WorkQueue(int workerThreads)
+    : mIsReleased(false)
+{
+    for (int i=0; i<workerThreads; ++i)
+    {
+        WorkThread* thread = new WorkThread(this);
+        mThreads.push_back(thread);
+        thread->startThread();
+    }
+}
+
+WorkQueue::~WorkQueue()
+{
+    {
+        OpenThreads::ScopedLock<OpenThreads::Mutex> lock(mMutex);
+        while (mQueue.size())
+        {
+            WorkItem* item = mQueue.front();
+            delete item;
+            mQueue.pop();
+        }
+        mIsReleased = true;
+        mCondition.broadcast();
+    }
+
+    for (unsigned int i=0; i<mThreads.size(); ++i)
+    {
+        mThreads[i]->join();
+        delete mThreads[i];
+    }
+}
+
+WorkTicket* WorkQueue::addWorkItem(WorkItem *item)
+{
+    WorkTicket* ticket = item->getTicket().get();
+    OpenThreads::ScopedLock<OpenThreads::Mutex> lock(mMutex);
+    mQueue.push(item);
+    mCondition.signal();
+    return ticket;
+}
+
+WorkItem *WorkQueue::removeWorkItem()
+{
+    OpenThreads::ScopedLock<OpenThreads::Mutex> lock(mMutex);
+    while (!mQueue.size() && !mIsReleased)
+    {
+        mCondition.wait(&mMutex);
+    }
+    if (mQueue.size())
+    {
+        WorkItem* item = mQueue.front();
+        mQueue.pop();
+        return item;
+    }
+    else
+        return NULL;
+}
+
+WorkThread::WorkThread(WorkQueue *workQueue)
+    : mWorkQueue(workQueue)
+{
+}
+
+void WorkThread::run()
+{
+    while (true)
+    {
+        WorkItem* item = mWorkQueue->removeWorkItem();
+        if (!item)
+            return;
+        item->doWork();
+        delete item;
+    }
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/workqueue.hpp b/components/sceneutil/workqueue.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..720fbaa68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/sceneutil/workqueue.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#ifndef OPENMW_COMPONENTS_SCENEUTIL_WORKQUEUE_H
+#define OPENMW_COMPONENTS_SCENEUTIL_WORKQUEUE_H
+
+#include <OpenThreads/Atomic>
+#include <OpenThreads/Mutex>
+#include <OpenThreads/Condition>
+#include <OpenThreads/Thread>
+
+#include <osg/Referenced>
+#include <osg/ref_ptr>
+
+#include <queue>
+
+namespace SceneUtil
+{
+
+    class WorkTicket : public osg::Referenced
+    {
+    public:
+        void waitTillDone();
+
+        void signalDone();
+
+    private:
+        OpenThreads::Atomic mDone;
+        OpenThreads::Mutex mMutex;
+        OpenThreads::Condition mCondition;
+    };
+
+    class WorkItem
+    {
+    public:
+        WorkItem();
+        virtual ~WorkItem();
+
+        /// Override in a derived WorkItem to perform actual work.
+        /// By default, just signals the ticket that the work is done.
+        virtual void doWork();
+
+        osg::ref_ptr<WorkTicket> getTicket();
+
+    protected:
+        osg::ref_ptr<WorkTicket> mTicket;
+    };
+
+    class WorkQueue;
+
+    class WorkThread : public OpenThreads::Thread
+    {
+    public:
+        WorkThread(WorkQueue* workQueue);
+
+        virtual void run();
+
+    private:
+        WorkQueue* mWorkQueue;
+    };
+
+    /// @brief A work queue that users can push work items onto, to be completed by one or more background threads.
+    class WorkQueue
+    {
+    public:
+        WorkQueue(int numWorkerThreads=1);
+        ~WorkQueue();
+
+        /// Add a new work item to the back of the queue.
+        /// @par The returned WorkTicket may be used by the caller to wait until the work is complete.
+        WorkTicket* addWorkItem(WorkItem* item);
+
+        /// Get the next work item from the front of the queue. If the queue is empty, waits until a new item is added.
+        /// If the workqueue is in the process of being destroyed, may return NULL.
+        /// @note The caller must free the returned WorkItem
+        WorkItem* removeWorkItem();
+
+        void runThread();
+
+    private:
+        bool mIsReleased;
+        std::queue<WorkItem*> mQueue;
+
+        OpenThreads::Mutex mMutex;
+        OpenThreads::Condition mCondition;
+
+        std::vector<WorkThread*> mThreads;
+    };
+
+
+
+}
+
+#endif