Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Woodworking
A new Code of Practice for timber treatment installations was published on 28 May by the British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association (BWPDA). The Code is the result of a joint initiative between the BWPDA, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The Code is designed to give practical advice on the health, safety and environmental issues involved in the design and operation of timber treatment plants. The new Code revises and replaces the 1991 version of the document.
Between 1988 and 1997, approximately 140 injuries to employees directly involved in timber treatment operations were reported to HSE. Of these, two were fatalities and a further 26 were classified as 'major injuries'. Additionally, some 35 'dangerous occurrences' were reported to HSE in the same period. It is likely that four or five times more accidents went unreported. Many of these injuries and incidents could have been avoided.
Most injuries in the timber treatment industry result from:
The Code covers all aspects of the timber treatment process, from selecting sites for new installations through to the storage of treated timber. Detailed guidance is included on environmental protection; plant and equipment safety; occupational health; training in the use of wood preservatives; fire prevention; and emergency procedures.
HSE inspectors use the BWPDA Code as the benchmark for health and safety standards when inspecting timber treatment installations. Employers should use the Code in the same way. This will ensure that the relevant legal requirements are complied with, while at the same time taking the necessary steps to avoid accidents and ill health in the workplace.
Copies of the new document "Timber treatment installations 1998: Code of Practice for safe design and operation" are being distributed by the BWPDA to every member site - approximately 750 in the UK. Non-members can obtain copies directly from the BWPDA on 0181 519 2588. The Code does not cover in situ methods of timber treatment.
Sound solutions - Techniques to reduce noise at work
The HSE publication HSG138 "Sound solutions" suggests techniques to reduce noise at work. It features 60 practical case studies from industry. The solution given in one of the woodworking examples - number 57 on page 69 (involving a planer-thicknessing machine) contains faulty advice. It indicates that a noise reduction can be achieved by opening the table away from the cutter block and advocates a gap of 25 mm. Unfortunately, while this solution is undoubtedly 'sound' in noise reduction terms, it is unsafe and indeed was illegal under regulation 25 of the old Woodworking Regulations 1974. The technique should therefore not be used. The clearance between the cutters and the front edge of the delivery table should not exceed 6 mm (measured radially from the centre of the cutter block) and the gap between the feed table and the delivery table should be as small as practicable, according to the operation being performed.
Until now WOODNIG NEWS has tended to concentrate just on news and views from members of the NIG but we thought that it might be interesting to hear the views of an inspector who works on the operational side. Richard Culpin is a Principal Inspector with over 20 years of experience in HSE. We think that you will find his observations on life 'at the cutting edge' to be both alarming and challenging.
My team of five inspectors, including one in training, have responsibility for the inspection of the woodworking and agricultural industries in most of Yorkshire and north-east Lincolnshire.
We have been inspecting agriculture for some time; the responsibility for woodworking was added two years ago. Those familiar with the industry and the geography of the area will know that there are a lot of key players in manufacturing located along the M62 corridor, but there are also numerous smaller manufacturers.
Last year we received a total of 937 accident notifications and 180 complaints. Most of these came from the woodworking industry. Serious accidents resulting in maiming and amputations, and the age distribution of those injured, reflect the patterns identified in the December 1997 issue of WOODNIG NEWS. Considerable numbers of long- term musculoskeletal injuries are caused by lifting and moving heavy product, and slips, trips and falls. All depressing news that means the industry has made little or no progress in improving levels of health and safety in the last 12 years.
The inspectors currently in my team have a wide range of background knowledge and experience and a variety of skills gleaned both from within and outside HSE. These include the food and chemical industries, both using quality control systems but for different reasons, and agriculture, known for its inventiveness and for being unprepared to accept poorly designed machinery. As well as working in Operations, the inspectors have worked in HSE headquarters policy sections and National Interest Groups (NIGs).
We found woodworking to be an industry where standards of health and safety are typically poor. There appears to be widespread acceptance of the status quo and of the accidents and injuries that happen, especially to young employees.
We see poor control of guarding standards and tidiness, dust and flammable lacquers at the workshop level and little concern shown by higher management levels, often up to main board level. We see poor uptake on the use of jigs and push sticks. We see acceptance by companies of poor design standards on new machinery, rather than getting the supplier and manufacturer to remedy them for everyone's good. We still see the use of compressed airlines to clean down machines - and people - a highly dangerous practice. Wood dusts are blown into the air and dispersed widely around the shop and into people's lungs, rather than being collected by an industrial vacuum cleaner or by adapting the extraction system.
Extraction systems produce a saleable product which can make an admittedly small contribution towards running costs, but they are better than nothing. There are also benefits to the company in terms of better staff morale and performance, better quality and fewer rejects. Improved customer satisfaction is often another measurable reward.
Those companies that are forward looking and have joined quality schemes voluntarily, or been forced by their supply chain to join them, also see these benefits. We notice them during inspection. There is less need for enforcement notices, more chance for positive discussions on improving health and safety, more chance to follow up on the supply of non-complying machinery, and more opportunity for praise. Surely a better option all round.
Finding a company that has appreciated the hazards and controlled them is like a breath of fresh air - a very satisfying change. It can be done.
As usual, HSE will be exhibiting at WOODMEX. Perhaps you have a question you want to ask us? It will be the ideal time to find out the latest on the new Woodworking Approved Code of Practice (ACOP). Maybe you have some comments to make about "WOODNIG NEWS"? Perhaps you need to stock up on our free information sheets? You may simply wish to meet the WOODNIG! Whatever the reason, why not come to our stand? WOODMEX is on from 15-18 November at the Birmingham NEC.
See you there!
Many small woodworking premises use very simple filter units for collecting woodwaste. At their simplest, these consist of just a metal framework to support a fan, and a filter sock (held up by the airstream) above a polythene bag to collect the waste. HSE recently commissioned research to look at the fire and explosion risks associated with this type of unenclosed unit. The purpose of the project was to enable us to give clearer advice about the safe positioning of such filters in the workplace. They are often located directly in the workroom, close to the machine(s) they serve.
Three units of different sizes were tested with dust fed into the airstream produced by the fan. Without a powerful continuous ignition source, it proved difficult to ignite the dust clouds and so it appears unlikely that a small burning particle coming from a sanding or sawing machine would do this. When ignition was achieved, the usual outcome was a flame which burnt quickly through the bag, but with no associated pressure wave.
For many typical applications, this shows that the units give rise to a generally low risk of fires and no risk of explosion. However, sizeable flames, up to 4 m long, could be produced using wood dust and these would be a risk to anyone close to the unit. The size of the flames produced was similar for each of the units tested.
These units present a generally low risk of fire arising from burning material entering the unit. The risk is lower still if the waste collected is relatively coarse. Larger units may cause less of a risk to an individual because it may be more likely that any flame emerging from a bag will be above head height. Polyester filter bags reduce the size and duration of flame compared with cotton if the dust does ignite.
A distance of 3 m between a workstation and a filter will generally be sufficient to minimise any residual risk to a very low level. Users should note that HSE Woodworking Information Sheet WIS32 "Safe collection of woodwaste" which was published in 1997 before this research was commissioned, recommends a separation distance of 2 m. WIS32 will be revised to reflect these findings.
If ignition does take place, the most immediate action should be to stop the fan. This may be difficult if the only isolating switch is on the body of the machine. The fan should preferably be wired with a second switch located in a safe place away from the unit.
For further information, the research report "Dust explosions from unenclosed sock filters" CRR176/1998, ISBN 0 7176 1577 4, is available from HSE Books, price £15.00.
The Health and Safety Commission met on 7 July to consider HSE's proposals for the Woodworking Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 2). The key outcomes from that meeting were:
It must be emphasised that the above is not final at the time of writing as the package is subject to Ministerial approval, but as soon as that has been obtained we will prepare more detailed information. There will also be two new WISs dealing with tooling and braking. The package is still on track for implementation on 5 December 1998.
A company in the South-West was recently fined £5000, plus £1000 costs, following an accident during 'stopped work' on a vertical spindle moulder.
A 21-year-old employee sustained substantial injuries to two fingers - it is doubtful whether he will regain enough dexterity to resume employment as a woodworker. He had very limited experience and had not received adequate training. He was reliant upon on his employer for advice and training on how to work safely. However, his employer was unfamiliar with the requirements of the health and safety legislation.
The employee set up the vertical spindle moulder, as he had been shown. While hand feeding a test piece, the cutters snagged the wood and forced his left hand onto the rotating cutters. No false fence, back or front stops or jigs (holders) were used. The accident was not reported to HSE by the employer. Details of the accident were, however, brought to HSE's attention during a civil claim. The employer was prosecuted for a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 and for not reporting the accident to HSE.
Access to the cutters must be prevented to the extent that it is practicable to do so. This can be done using a false fence, shaw guards and a power feed unit. Where this is not possible, jigs and stops should be used. Limited cutter projection tooling reduces the risk of workpiece kickback and the severity of any injury (should the operator make contact with the cutters). Adequate training and supervision must be provided. Certain categories of injury resulting from workplace accidents must be reported to HSE (or sometimes the local authority).
Useful publications are WIS18 "Safe working practices at vertical spindle moulding machines" and leaflet HSE31 "Everyone's guide to RIDDOR '95" (both available from HSE Books).
Details of recently produced HSE publications which may be of interest to the woodworking industry are listed below.
All these publications are available from HSE Books.
HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS. Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995.
HSE priced publications are also available from good booksellers.
For other enquiries ring HSE's InfoLine Tel: 0845 345 0055, or write to HSE Infoline, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, CF83 3GG
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WOODNIG NEWS is produced by the HSE's Woodworking National Interest Group based at the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ.
Added to Web site 18/09/98