Safety analysis and implementation for safer design of wood Processing machines; a case study of southern Nigeria

Abstract

Machines used in wood processing industries are dangerous, especially when handle without proper safeguards. Workers can suffer injuries from minor cuts to amputations and blindness. This research work is focused on the safety practices of wood processing machines, basically industrial circular saw and band saw. Data used in this present work were collected using structured questionnaires approach;through inspection of records and individual interview from sawmill industries in Southern Nigeria on machine operations that can possibly result in mishaps. The education acquired, age, level of skills of persons using the machines, and the degree of injuries suffered by them were considered. The analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics and this was based on American Injury Scale (AIS) rating. The results obtained show that injuries sustained are due to carelessness of the machine operator, inadequate safety skill on machine operation and machine setups without appropriate safety guarded systems. A safer design mechanism was recommended for the machines currently in use in the study area