Safety in the sawmill industry

Occupational safety

Everyone is responsible for the safety of his or her own actions.

The work and safety instructions, which have been given, should be strictly followed, as they protect the interest of both the employee and the employer.

Compliance with the rules and a proactive attitude towards safety sends a strong message regarding professionalism and an understanding of the risks involved in the work.

Work tasks and own occupational safety

Good practices, which enhance the safety of an individual’s work are:

1. the reporting of noticed hazards
2. the continuous checking of the work
3. the working environment and working in a calm and organised way

The appropriate use of time during the planning and preparation phases will probably provide a result that is many times faster and better than purely attempting to achieve a result that is based on performing as quickly as possible because as often as not the quality and safety suffer.

The attitude of employees towards safety, which can spread throughout a workplace either positively or negatively, is also an essential factor in this issue. Therefore, it is of extreme importance that each and everyone understands his or her significance in the workplace.

Working environment

Deficiencies in house-keeping within the working environment are the most common factors for accidents. When a workplace is untidy and disorganised the detection of hazards becomes difficult. This can lead to e.g. tripping and slipping accidents.

One of the most efficient ways to improve both the safety and the smoothness of work is to keep the working environment tidy and organized. When working in familiar environments it is prudent to actively identify risk factors that exist – dangers are easily regarded as being a natural or even harmless part of the everyday working environment.

Over time people get accustomed to the danger, which is especially risky when working with large masses of raw materials and finished products, mobile machines and machine parts. The impact of noise on the recognition of risks and hazards existing in the working environment should also be recognised.

For example, mobile machines may be difficult, even impossible to notice if they approach from outside a person’s field of view. This is a good example of the importance of establishing ground rules and a positive attitude towards safety: the passageways used by the personnel and work machines should be clearly separated from each other and clearly marked. Machine operators, drivers and pedestrians should keep a constant eye on the surroundings and everyone in the work environment should be clearly visible (N.B. protective clothing). The ground rules and other agreed practices should be complied with.

When checking the working environment, attention should be paid to changes occurring in the environment. For example, the weather conditions may change drastically and make roads and pathways slippery during the winter-time.

A substantial part of accidents do not occur at the actual work place. During the winter-time, snow causes accidents because it can cover those places, which can create the risk of tripping over or slipping. The maintenance of the outdoor areas during the winter-time has a significant impact on safety.

The management and planning of work

An employer has a legal duty (i.e. the Occupational Safety and Health Act (738/2002)) to identify and be aware of the risk factors that are a threat to health and safety and either eliminate them or control them.

An employer also has a supervisory responsibility, which in practice means that it is the responsibility of the supervisors to ensure that the work is performed properly in regard to, for example, complying with work instructions and the use of personnel protective equipment (PPE).

In addition to the liabilities laid down in the law, an employer can affect risk management through e.g. planning and resource allocation and, above all, through the creation and promotion of a proactive safety culture.

Planning and resource allocation are essentially related to detailed safety planning and to the securing of a sufficient amount of time and personnel so that the work can be performed in a safe way without any unnecessary pressure regarding time.

Safety culture refers to the shared attitudes and common perceptions of safety in the workplace. Signs of there being a good safety culture throughout the entire organization are for example: a proactive attitude towards safety instructions and practices, a low threshold regarding people’s willingness to interfere in activities that can be regarded as risky along with an active observance of hazards. On the individual level, the question is again of a good and goal-oriented attitude towards safety. A good safety culture actively promotes quality and uninterrupted operations, which in turn also have a direct effect on economic results.

Typical risks

The most significant risks at the sawmill environment are:

1. The exposures caused by wood dust, conjunctivitis
2. Accidents

The exposures can cause different types of health hazards or occupational diseases, e.g. irritation symptoms caused by wood dust, conjunctivitis, or, in some cases, even asthma.

Correspondingly, the exposure to noise may lead to a loss of hearing.

To avoid infirmities caused by exposure, the employer should be aware of the exposure factors and should monitor the level of the loads they cause. Correspondingly, employees must comply with the safety rules and regulations, which include a duty to use and/or wear the personal protective equipment that the employer is under an obligation to provide.

Accidents at the sawmill industry

The sawmill industry is associated with certain features that increase the amount and seriousness of accident risks. It is important to note that the share of serious injuries is higher than on all industries in average.

Together 57 accidents / million working hour occurred in the sawmill industry year 2014.. The average is on all industries is 35.

Hand injuries are typical to the sawmill industry. Also, accidents that happen during service and maintenance operations, walking on site and in transportation and loading/unloading are typical to sawmill industry

The common situations leading to accidents in the sawmill industry are also for example:

1. Injuries associated with machinery and equipment. Accidents typically cause hand injuries, which may be rather serious. Within this type of accidents, two different causes of injury can be found:
   1) entanglement in machines and equipment (e.g. gloves or sleeves)
   2) contact with the machinery or equipment, i.e. injuries caused by a moving blade.
2. Slipping and tripping accidents: These types of accidents typically occur outdoors and on stairs. Slipping can be caused by e.g. ice, lubricants and other chemicals. Slipping and tripping typically occur when exiting a non-road mobile machine, such as fork-lifts. These types of accidents are common because movement accidents may occur anywhere during the workday. Even serious accidents are not always directly related to the actual work task.
3. Falling: Falling accidents occur e.g. when operating on working platforms, climbing up and down ladders or when exiting non-road mobile machines.

Typical injury types include, for example, wounds and dirt (such as dust or small particles) in the eyes.

Maintaining the workplace in a clean and orderly manner is not only an easy and efficient way to promote common safety, but it also has an impact on the work. In addition, by having an uncompromising attitude towards the using and wearing of personal protective equipment, such as the appropriate gloves and safety goggles, it is possible to avoid some injuries.