Timber iQ October - November 2018 // Issue: 40 | Page 40

FEATURES
The need for PPE in the timber industry is more important than ever.
Putting safety first with PPE
With health and safety a rising concern, personal protective
equipment (PPE) in the timber industry is taking top priority.
By Candace Sofianos King | Photos by Sweet-Orr
T
he timber and woodworking industry boasts one of
the highest accident rates in manufacturing.
“The key to preventing accidents and, in the
worst case, rescuing workers, is the right equipment,”
notes Anderson Cilliers, 3M Market Segment Lead:
Fall Protection.
According to Rani Naidoo, technical manager at 3M, the
need for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the timber
sector is imperative. “PPE is used to protect workers
against health or safety risks on the job. The purpose is to
reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering
and administrative controls are not feasible or effective to
reduce these risks to acceptable levels,” explains Naidoo.
38 OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER 2018 //
PPE plays an especially significant role in the timber sector
for several reasons, says Denver Berman-Jacob, Sweet-Orr
executive director. “The timber sector uses a wide variety
of dangerous machinery including chainsaws, harvesters,
cranes log splitters and wood chippers. When accidents
happen out in a forest, workers are generally far away from
medical treatment centres. Because of this, even a minor
injury can become serious because of the time it takes to
get treatment.
“Forestry work is done outdoors which leaves workers
exposed to extreme weather conditions, poisonous insects
or animals and broken terrain. This industry has earned it’s
‘3D reputation’ which stands for dirty, difficult and