Woodworking companies have a "moral responsibility" as well as a legal one to keep their wood dust extraction facilities in good working order, the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) says.
And to that end, the BWF is giving its members the tools needed to help them comply with health and safety regulations and avoid being hit with fees under the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Fee for Intervention.
It is also launching a Safety Hero initiative, with wood dust one of the first target areas.
"Our industry is a priority sector for HSE inspections, whether it is sawmilling, manufacture of builder’s carpentry or other wood products," said the BWF’s Michael Lee.
"Woodworking is regarded as one of the high-risk industries but there are still a lot of companies that are not complying.
"We know there are a lot of companies in the industry who are not members of an organisation but we’re saying to the HSE that we have a code of conduct and we provide our members with guidance."
The BWF has around 565 woodworking manufacturer members but there are estimated to be around 3,000 joinery/carpentry companies in the UK, although some may not have workshop facilities.
Additional guidance
Because of the increased number of inspections following the implementation of the Health and Safety Executive’s Fee for Intervention the BWF decided to publish some additional guidance in the form of two guides. "Health and Safety – the essentials" and "Health and Safety Inspection Guidance".
The BWF urges members to take health and safety so seriously that it goes beyond the regulations, such as implementing HSE recommendations even when there is no regulatory need to do so.
Feedback from BWF members to the Fee for Intervention has been mixed.
"Some companies thought they were fairly compliant with everything but they have been asked to make improvements, which can be expensive," said Mr Lee.
Under the regulations those who break health and safety laws are liable for recovery of the HSE’s related costs, including inspection, investigation and taking enforcement action.
"The HSE’s rate of £124 per hour can be costly if companies get it wrong," said Mr Lee." In fact, fees include all the work HSE inspectors do, such as compiling a report and follow-up work, and bills can easily exceed £1,000."
All this could quite easily create concern at woodworking companies and enquiries by TTJ have found some companies have become reticent to contact the HSE for advice for fear they will then be targeted in a spot inspection.
The Fee for Intervention’s first full year of operation resulted in £5.5m revenue for the HSE across all industry sectors.
The BWF said HSE inspectors were looking for evidence of good dust control, a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system that is suitable for the job and that is maintained correctly.
The BWF advice focuses on both the essential legal requirements, such as the need to report incidents, complete a wood dust risk assessment and carry out LEV testing every 14 months (specified under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) – for main systems, stand-alone dust collectors and portable systems on power hand tools, as well as practical guidance in running a workshop.
The latter includes regular checks for signs of damage to extraction systems, checking equipment gauges and searching for dust leaks, plus good record keeping. The BWF also highlights the need for companies to ban dry sweeping and blowing down using compressed air and to use P3 masks for sanding and other high risk operations such as filter bag changing.
The BWF’s training service provider, Didac Ltd, also offers a health and safety audit to members.
"Training is a big issue," said Mr Lee. "Inspectors need to see people who are competent in using machinery."
Another requirement not always appreciated by woodworking companies is the need for employees to be clean shaven if they are wearing disposable or half masks.
HSE inspectors are also checking that LEV suppliers and examiners are providing woodworking companies with the correct service.
Productivity improvements
The obvious added benefit of keeping machinery and dust extraction in correct working order is efficiency of the workshop machining operation, leading to cost reduction and productivity improvement.
The greater risks to health from hardwood dust are being recognised in an EU plan to drastically reduce hardwood dust limits through a revision of the carcinogens and mutagens directive.
The BWF is not expecting any amendments in the near future but is maintaining a watching brief.
The current level of acceptable hardwood and softwood dust is 5mg/m³, with the proposal to reduce hardwood dust levels to either 3mg/m³ or 1mg/m³, the latter of which would be a big challenge for joineries to meet.
Most of the EU is already meeting 3mg/m³ and some countries have stated an interest in getting an occupational exposure limit of 1mg/m³.
Meanwhile, the BWF will release video presentations soon on its website as part of its Safety Hero initiative. The first will focus on wood dust, noise and training.
"We want to see every member signing up [as a Safety Hero]. I think our members are very good but we can always do better," said Mr Lee.
