Wood Chippers : NS Labour and Advanced Education, Hazard Alerts

Wood Chippers

Date of Issue: March 31, 2001

Hazard Summary

In July, 2000 an employee's glove became entangled with material being fed into a wood chipping machine.

The investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education revealed that, although all safety devices were operating properly, the employee was not able to reach the emergency stop feature.

Preventive Measures:

To prevent a recurrence of this type of accident, employers should:

  • ensure that all safety devices and controls are functioning properly
  • train all employees in safe work procedures
  • follow manufacturer's operating instructions and recommendations.

Employees should:

  • wear close fitting, tucked-in clothes and skid resistant foot wear
  • feed material into the hopper butt end first
  • lay short material on longer material, or use a longer branch to push shorter material through the hopper
  • wear appropriate personal protective equipment - eye protection, hearing protection and hard hat.

The above measures are from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard alert on Injury Associated with Working Near or Operating Wood Chippers.

Note:

Part 8 of the Occupational Safety General Regulations deals with Mechanical Safety and should be considered by the employer. In particular, subsection 84(1) requires the employer to ensure that the use of a machine that may be a hazard to the health or safety of a person at the workplace complies with the manufacturer's specifications, or where there are no manufacturer's specifications, the specifications certified by an engineer.

Section 84 also requires the employer to ensure that the machine's operating limitations are not exceeded and that any identified defects with the machine are repaired or replaced and that the machine is not used until repaired or replaced..

Clause 13(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to provide information, instruction, training, supervision and facilities as necessary to ensure an employee's health and safety.