“Out of sight is not out of mind when timber comes off the production line,” said Alan Scobbie, who looks after all things related to timber in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) manufacturing group.

“Storage and handling is as much a part of the business as processing – and companies need to manage the health and safety issues as seriously as they would any other part of production,” he said.

“Having the right storage solutions helps companies manage their safety requirements – and can prevent the risk of serious injury caused by falling boards or sawn timber.”

Nearly 20% of fatal injuries and 13% of major injuries in woodworking are caused by being struck by falling and flying objects, including timber falling from stacks. A similar number of fatal and major injuries are caused by people falling from heights, including falls from stacks.

Because timber and board materials are heavy, when accidents occur they tend to be serious. Around half of all stacking accidents investigated by HSE have resulted in the injured person suffering major injuries. A high proportion (38%) of investigated accidents involve propped up board materials or doors, for example when the whole lot topples over as someone tries to extract a single item.

Best practice

Storage is an issue for many timber companies and, in its Information Sheet on safe stacking of sawn timber and board materials, the HSE sets out the guidelines and best practice in storing these products correctly. “Once you build something, the most obvious thing that can happen is that it will fall back down again,” said Mr Scobbie. “If people are in the area when that stack falls, it can result in serious injury.”

Dan Smith, a senior consultant, at health, safety and environmental consultancy Sypol, agreed: “Because of the sheer weight of bulk stored wood, a stack of timber collapsing could cost someone their life. And the reality is that this can usually be avoided by good planning and adequate control measures.”

Mr Smith said that properly assessing the risks is the essential starting point. “This risk assessment will need to cover all aspects of the operation such as banding, manual handling, falls from height, stack heights and environmental factors,” he said.

“But the work doesn’t stop there. Next you will have to consider control measures. These might include things like making checks of banding materials to make sure they are holding packed timber tight, uniform and square or making sure stacks are limited to a safe height that suits the pack, timber and environment.”

The HSE is keen to stress the importance of proper storage and handling through its use of inspectors on the ground, the guidance notes on its website, the trade press and through its Safety and Health Awareness Days. “Although stacking timber is not one of our main topics, these days are a way of bringing people in the industry together to provide information and advice,” said Mr Scobbie.

He said that safe working practices should be devised and followed and the stacking/storage area should be well organised, with appropriate racking systems where necessary. “Make sure everybody who is involved in stacking is adequately trained and appropriately supervised,” he said.

  • The Woodworking Information Sheet on safe stacking can be accessed at www.hse.gove.uk/pubns/wis2.pdf.