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Injury Prevention Resources for Wood Products Manufacturing - Plywood & Panel Board


Pulp & Paper | Sawmills | Shake & Shingle | Plywood & Panel Board | Value-added Wood Products | General

The following links list tools, publications, and other resources to help prevent the most common injuries and illnesses in the wood products manufacturing industry. These resources may not meet all the requirements for health and safety in British Columbia. Please check the Workers Compensation Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and related materials for specific WorkSafeBC requirements.

Woodworking eTool

This eTool is an interactive web-based training tool on the hazards associated with woodworking. It provides information on topics such as assembly, production, and shipping.
Source: OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, US)
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Health and Safety Resources for the Wood and Wood Products Industry

Online health and safety resources for businesses in the wood and wood products industry. The resources are designed to help address common health and safety issues that are significant within this industry.
Source: Australian Safety and Compensation Council
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Back Talk: An Owner's Manual for Backs BK4

An illustrated handbook that explains how the back works, provides tips for avoiding injury, and shows how to care for the back during recovery. The booklet also covers situations that can cause excessive loads and describes ways to reduce the risk of injury.
Source: WorkSafeBC WCB logo
* PDF (621 KB)
Updated: June 2007
* Available in print from Publications, Videos and Forms Distribution.

BackCare The National (UK) Organisation for Healthy Backs

This website helps people manage and prevent back pain by providing advice, promoting self help, encouraging debate and funding scientific research into better back care.
Source: The National (UK) Organization for Healthy Backs
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Elements of Ergonomics Programs

This primer provides basic information that will be useful for employers, workers, and others in designing effective programs to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), one of the most prevalent and costly safety and health problems in the modern workplace.
Source: NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
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Ergonomic hazards

Ergonomic hazards include repetitive and forceful movements, vibration, temperature extremes, and awkward postures that arise from improper work methods and improperly designed workstations, tools, and equipment.
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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ErgoWeb Reference Materials

Links to a very large number of online ergonomics resources.
Source: ErgoWeb
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Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment: General Requirements

This manual is for everyone who owns, operates, maintains, or sells powered machinery and equipment. Employers will find information to help them comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) and Part 3 of the Workers Compensation Act. It will also help them exercise due diligence in providing a safe work environment. Supervisors will find information to help them assess the risks to their workers from harmful contact with machinery and equipment. Workers will gain greater awareness of the hazards associated with equipment operation and maintenance and of the safeguarding protection they have a right to expect. Suppliers will understand what they must do to provide machinery and equipment that conform to the Workers Compensation Act and the OHSR.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (5 MB)
* Available in print from Publications, Videos and Forms Distribution.

Safeguarding in Manufacturing Infoflip (A Companion guide to Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment: General Requirements booklet.)

This Infoflip provides information to help

  • employers comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) and Part 3 of the Workers Compensation Act. It will also help them exercise due diligence in providing a safe work environment.
  • supervisors assess the risks to their workers from harmful contact with machinery and equipment
  • workers gain greater awareness of the hazards associated with equipment operation and maintenance and of the safeguarding protection they have a right to expect.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* (PDF 733 KB)

Machine Guarding Checklist

This checklist can be used to analyze the machinery in your workplace. Reproduced with permission from Canadian Auto Workers Union video "Blowin' in the Wind - Machine Guarding Prevents Death."
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* (PDF 248 KB)

Machine Risk Assessment Survey

This document will help identify hazardous machine motion to which a worker may be exposed. It also contains the "hierarchy of safeguarding controls" as a reference.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* (PDF 267 KB)

Concepts and Techniques of Machine Safeguarding

"This manual has been prepared as an aid to employers, employees, machine manufacturers, machine guard designers and fabricators, and all others with an interest in protecting workers against the hazards of moving machine parts." (1992; revised)
Source: OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration)
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Critical Injury - Radial Arm Saws

"A worker operating a radial arm saw lost his thumb and fingers on his left hand when he pulled the saw across with his right hand while his left hand was in the blade path."
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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Critical Injury - Unguarded Cut-off Saw

"A worker received serious injuries to his left hand when he reached across the path of a 15 inch saw blade and inadvertently stepped on the foot pedal that activated the hydraulically controlled radial arm that moves the saw blade across the wood."
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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updated Lockout BK21

This booklet defines lockout, explains lockout policy and procedures, and provides guidance on compliance with Regulation requirements.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (2 MB) (Updated: September 2005)
* Available in Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
* Available in print from Publications, Videos and Forms Distribution.

OSH Answers - Safety Hazards

Safety hazards in this section will deal with machine guarding, mechanical power transmission systems, electrical safety, power and hand tools, working and walking surfaces, etc.
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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OSH Answer: Powered Hand Tools

Information presented in question-and-answer format.
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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An Introduction to Personal Fall Protection Equipment BK60

This booklet outlines the safe use and limitations of personal fall protection equipment.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (545 KB) (Updated: September 2005)
* Available in Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
* Available in print from Publications, Videos and Forms Distribution.

Background and extensive guidelines on preventing injuries from slips, trips, and falls

This booklet provides background and extensive guidelines on preventing injuries from slips, trips, and falls.
Source: HSE, UK (Health and Safety Executive)
* PDF (631 KB)

Foot Comfort and Foot Safety at Work

Describes common causes of foot problems, how work conditions and footwear can contribute to foot problems, how foot injuries can be prevented, how job and workplace design can improve foot safety, how to buy the right footwear for work, how to care for one's feet, and exercises that can be done at the workstation.
Source: CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)
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Hard Metal Hazards

This pamphlet provides important health information for saw filers and knife grinders.
Source: WorkSafeBC WCB logo
* PDF (260 KB)



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