HAZARDOUS AND HARMFUL FACTORS IN WOOD INDUSTRY

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HAZARDOUS AND HARMFUL FACTORS IN WOOD INDUSTRY
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP
2
Main hazardous and harmful factors in Wood
Industry
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Woodworking Machines
• Wood Dust
• Fire and Explosion
• Noise

• Vibrations
• Manual Handling
• Hazardous Chemical Substances
• Slips and Trips

3
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 1. Woodworking Machines
• What is woodworking machinery?
• spindle moulders circular, crosscut and rip
  saws radial arm saws band saws jointers
  planers shapers lathes sanding machines
  boring and mortising machines routers tenoning
  machines, etc.

4
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What are the risks?
• Sharp unguarded parts
• Rotating unguarded parts turning at high
  revolutions
• The force exerted on a piece of wood by a
  rotating part causing the machinist to be injured
  or knocked off balance
• Unguarded moving parts, or moving without
  warning, or moving unpredictably
• Hand feeding without using a jig or push stick

5
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What are the dangerous parts?
• nip points
• rotating blades
• rotating wheels
• moving parts
• movable (reciprocating) blades
• pressing parts

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Which jobs are affected?
• Regardless of which job or machine, those
  carrying out the work
• must have the skills, knowledge, training and
  experience, to allow them to work safely in
  accordance with the manufacturers instructions
  and they must be provided with machines that are
  properly maintained.

7
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• How should hazardous machines be guarded?
• Stationary guards
• Moving, non-interlocking guards
• Interlocking guards

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Stationary guards may be
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• fixed guards
• distance guards
• fence guards

• adjustable guards
• riving knives

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Moving, non-interlocking guards may be
• automated guards moved automatically by the
  machine
• self-adjusting, moveable guards which adjust to
  accommodate the material. These guards are opened
  at the beginning of the operation by the passage
  of the material and return to the safe position
  when the last of the material passes through the
  guard.

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Interlocking guards may be
• moving interlocking guards that contain movable
  parts and whose movement is interconnected with
  the power or control system of the machine
• interlocking distance guards that do not
  completely enclose a hazard, but prevent access
  by their distance from the hazard

11
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Guard construction
• Guards can be made from durable material suitable
  for the purpose and may be solid sheet metal,
  metal rod, perforated or mesh material, acrylic
  or polycarbonate, stainless steel, rubber or
  timber

12
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Other forms of safety devices
• Trip devices
• Electro-sensitive safety systems
• Pressure sensitive systems

13
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules for People Operating
  Woodworking Machines
• Only authorised people who have been properly
  trained and assessed as competent, should operate
  or work at woodworking machines
• Safe operating procedures must be provided and
  used in respect of each machine
• Appropriate hearing protection, eye shields and
  dust masks should be worn when required

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Machines must be switched OFF when not in use and
  ISOLATED before any repair, cleaning or
  maintenance is done
• The machinists attention must not be distracted
  while work is in progress
• Dont operate machinery if fatigued or otherwise
  unfit for the task at hand

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• If mechanical feeding is not available, use push
  sticks or avoid the need for hands to be near
  cutters or saw blades
• Wear clothing that will not catch in cutters or
  other moving parts
• Dont have long hair free or wear jewellery that
  might get entangled in the machinery.

16
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 2. Wood Dust
• Wood dust consists of tiny particles of wood
  produced during the processing and handling of
  wood, particleboards, fibreboards and other
  composite boards.

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Activities likely to produce high dust levels
  include
• machining operations
• sanding
• using compressed airlines
• hand assembly of machined/sanded components
• any operations involving composite boards
• the bagging of dust from dust extraction systems
• factory cleaning

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What are the hazards?
• Health hazards include
• skin disorders
• obstruction in the nose and rhinitis
• asthma
• a rare type of nasal cancer
• Maximum exposure limit (MEL) - 5 mg/m3 (8-hour
  time-weighted average).

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Fire/explosion hazard - wood dust fires and
  explosions
• Safety hazard - wood dust on the floor can cause
  tripping or slipping. Vision can be impaired by
  airborne chips and dust generated during
  machining and sanding operations

20
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Make sure the personal protective equipment is
  suitable and kept in good order
• Launder overalls and aprons regularly
• Provide good washing facilities with hot and cold
  water, soap and towels and encourage a high
  standard of personal hygiene

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Provide vacuum cleaning equipment to remove dust
  from clothing
• Make sure workers are adequately informed,
  instructed, trained and supervised
• Check that the design and installation of dust
  control equipment incorporates explosion
  precautions
• Keep floors free and clear from wood chips and
  dust. Pay particular attention to areas around
  machines and on or near heating units

22
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Clean inside walls, ceilings, ledges and other
  surfaces of workrooms regularly to prevent dust
  accumulating
• Do not use compressed airlines or hand brushing
  as these will create dust clouds and redistribute
  the dust.

23
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 3. Fire and Explosion
• Woodworking facilities are prone to fires and
  explosions for the following reasons
• Large quantities of fuel in the form of wood and
  wood products, sawdust, and flammable materials
  such as paints, oil finishes, adhesives,
  solvents, etc.
• Ignition sources, such as potentially faulty
  electrical wiring, cutting and welding
  operations, sparking tools. There is also the
  potential for static electrical discharges.

24
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Ensure the proper use and storage of flammable
  materials, such as paints, finishes, adhesives,
  and solvents
• Segregate tasks particularly prone to fire and
  explosion hazards, such as spray painting and
  welding
• Train employees to recognize, avoid, and correct
  potentially hazardous conditions and behaviors

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Train employees so that they are acquainted with
  the special equipment and aspects of building
  design related to dealing with fires and
  explosions
• Control ignition sources
• Never permit blow-down of accumulated dust with
  compressed air

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Provide local exhaust ventilation on all
  woodworking machines. Dust collection systems
  must be located outside the building
• Segregate combustible and flammable materials
  such as timber stock and chemical solvents from
  each other and from ignition sources
• Ensure that you use equipment with a hazard
  classification appropriately rated for your work
  environment.

27
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What Other Fire Protection Measures Should Be
  Taken?
• Fire-resistant construction and/or fire-resistant
  materials
• Multiple emergency exits that are well marked and
  easily accessible
• Emergency alarms and communications systems to
  promote rapid evacuation and fire-fighting
  response
• Automatic sprinkler systems designed for a
  worst-case fire scenario
• Readily accessible, portable fire extinguishers

28
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 4. Noise
• What are the hazards?
• temporary hearing loss
• permanent hearing loss

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Typical noise levels at woodworking machines
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP
30
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Action values
• lower action values daily exposure of 80 dB, and
  peak sound pressure of 135 dB
• upper action values daily exposure of 85 dB, and
  peak sound pressure of 137 dB.
• Noise exposure limits
• daily personal noise exposure of 87 dB
• peak sound pressure of 140 dB

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The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Controlling noise
• using the best systems of work
• using the most appropriate machine for the task
• engineering noise control at source
• effective maintenance of equipment
• limiting how long people are exposed to noise

32
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Personal hearing protection
• If an employees personal noise exposure reaches
  or exceeds the upper action values then hearing
  protection is compulsory. The employer must
  provide it and employees must use it.
• Hearing protectors should be selected to
• protect against the noise levels in the
  workplace
• be comfortable
• be suitable for wearing with other personal
  protective equipment.

33
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Make employees aware of the need to wear hearing
  protection whenever they are exposed to noise.
  Not wearing hearing protection for even a short
  period of time in a noisy environment will
  significantly reduce the protection they receive
  over the working day.

34
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 5. Vibrations
• A significant physical hazard in the workplace.
  It is a disease that develops and spreads slowly
  through the muscles and circulatory system of the
  fingers, hands and forearms.
• Hazards
• "white fingers
• hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)

35
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• The vibration 'dose' received by a worker over a
  day depends on
• vibration frequency (the worst range is from 5 to
  20 Hertz)
• exposure duration
• the grip and push force required to guide the
  tool or work piece.

36
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Maintain machines in proper working order.
  Unbalanced rotating parts or unsharpened cutting
  tools can give off excessive vibration
• Arrange work tasks so that vibrating and
  nonvibrating tools can be used alternately
• Restrict the number of hours a worker uses a
  vibrating tool during the workday. Allow
  employees to take 10 to 15 minute breaks from the
  source of the vibration every hour

37
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Train workers about the hazards of working with
  vibrating tools. Instruction should include the
  sources of vibration exposure, early signs and
  symptoms of hand-arm vibration syndrome, and work
  practices for minimizing vibration exposure
• Instruct workers to keep their hands warm and
  dry, and to not grip a vibrating tool too
  tightly. Workers should allow the tool or machine
  to do the work.

38
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 6. Manual Handling
• What is manual handling?
• Manual handling is any transporting or supporting
  of a load by one or more workers. It includes the
  following activities lifting, holding, putting
  down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving of a
  load. Manual handling is also sometimes called
  manual material handling.

39
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What are the problems?
• In woodworking, manual handling causes
  approximately 30 of the work-related injuries
  reported each year.
• What are the causes?
• poor workplace or job design
• heavy or awkward loads
• difficulty in gripping
• excessive use of force
• repetition
• twisting and other awkward postures

40
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What are the possible negative health effects of
  manual handling?
• Cuts, bruises, fractures etc., due to sudden,
  unexpected events such as accidents
• Damage to the musculoskeletal system of the body
  (muscles, tendons, bones, joints, blood vessels
  and nerves) as a consequence of gradual and
  cumulative wear and tear through repetitive
  manual handling.

41
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What is the cost?
• Costs to the company can come from loss of
  production poor product quality sickness
  payments accident injury claims and higher
  insurance premiums high staff turnover and
  retraining
• Costs to the individual are pain possible
  permanent disability time off work and loss of
  earnings

42
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Prevention measures
• Elimination can manual handling be avoided or
  restricted?
• Technical measures - automation, mechanisation
  and the use of lifting and transport equipment
• Organisational measures
• Information and training

43
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Lifting
• Put your feet around the load and your body over
  it (if this is not feasible, try to keep your
  body as close possible to the load and in front
  of it)
• Use the muscles of your legs when lifting
• Keep your back straight
• Pull the load as close as possible to your body
• Lift and carry the load with straight arms.

44
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Pushing and pulling
• Pushing and pulling should be done using the
  bodys own weight when pushing you should lean
  forward, when pulling you should lean backward
• You should have enough grip on the floor in order
  to lean forward/backward
• Avoid twisting, turning and bending the back
• Handle height should be between the shoulder and
  waist so that you can push/pull in a good,
  neutral posture
• Handling devices should be well-maintained so
  that the wheels run smoothly.

45
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 7. Hazardous Chemical Substances
• What are the health risks?
• The main health risks are occupational asthma and
  dermatitis. Some of the substances used can have
  very serious effects on the liver, kidneys and
  the central nervous system.

46
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• What substances used in woodworking can cause
  disease?
• wood dust from hardwood, softwood and wood
  composites, such as particleboard and medium
  density fibreboard (MDF)
• resins used in the manufacture of compressed
  products and particleboards
• coatings, such as paints, varnishes, stains and
  preservatives
• adhesives, such as those used in lamination or
  furniture assembly
• stripping agents
• solvents

47
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Select the most suitable protective device for
  each work task or exposure. Refer to the
  producers guidance for appropriate choice
• Respirators should only be used by one worker and
  not be shared
• In regular use, the device should be kept in good
  condition, cleaned after use, filters changed as
  appropriate and the device checked for technical
  or other damage

48
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Make sure equipment for personal use, such as
  gloves, is carefully selected, worn, maintained
  and replaced
• Lay down written procedures for regular cleaning,
  disinfecting, storing, inspection, repairing,
  discarding and maintaining respirators.

49
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• 8. Slips and Trips
• the single most common cause of injuries at work
  
• occur in almost all kinds of workplace
• There is an increased risk of injury from slips
  and trips whilst carrying out manual handling
  activities

50
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Measures to control slips and trips
• Preventing floor contamination
• Managing spillages and cleaning regimes
• Effective matting systems
• Choice of suitable footwear
• Design of the workplace and work activities
• Maintenance of plant and the work environment
• Specification of appropriate flooring
• Effective training and supervision

51
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Basic Safety Rules
• Every floor and the surface of every traffic
  route should be constructed so as to be suitable
  for the specific use
• The floor should have no holes slopes or be
  uneven or slippery so as to give rise to risks
• Floors should be provided, where necessary, with
  effective drainage

52
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• Floors and traffic routes should be kept free
  from obstructions and from any article or
  substance that may cause a person to slip, trip
  or fall
• Employees should be trained so that they are
  acquainted with the appropriate footwear for the
  specific workplace conditions
• Provide all necessary signs and signboards, e.g.
  no running, slippery floor, etc.

53
The Language of Safety and Health Signs and
Signals in Wood Industry No. 134575 LLP 2007
1 BG Leonardo LMP

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!