Abstract

One quarter of the approximately 500 workers employed in the 30 wood-shingle factories in Québec are victims of an accident, most commonly to the hands or fingers. Some 90 accident reports were analyzed in order to characterize the accidents and the operations associated with them. Further information concerning operating procedures and circumstances predisposing to accidents was gathered during site visits to five factories, and through interviews with workers and foremen.

In general, the most dangerous operations were those performed near the saws, and the absence of protective devices on the saws contributed to the risk, particularly during edging. Modifications to production equipment were proposed (installation of blade guards, vertical protectors, finger guards, and anti-kickback devices) and a prototype was produced, laboratory-tested, and field-tested. Following validation of the proposed solutions, the measures were implemented in all Québec shingle-factories. In the period of just over a year since their implementation, this equipment has almost completely eliminated accidents, especially serious accidents, associated with saw operation.