Worry about hanging the saw blade

Workers working at a wood processing factory in Dinh Lap district

We were present at the Hoa Hop Agricultural and Forestry Cooperative (Hop Thanh Commune, Cao Loc District) when workers were busy working in the noisy sound of sawing wood and the dust. Although working in a dusty environment and regularly using machinery with sharp blades and saws, the workers here use very rudimentary protective equipment, only cloth gloves. In addition, some workers have not attended any training courses on occupational safety. Mr. Loc Minh Phu, a worker at the facility, said: I have worked here for many years, mainly sawing and cutting wood but have not been fully equipped with labor protection equipment. Knowing that the job is potentially dangerous, I still work here because of my family life.

Similarly, at some other facilities in the district, workers directly involved in wood processing often have to come into contact with machines such as peeling machines, cutting machines, etc., but their protective gear consists only of masks and gloves. Some workers even wear shorts and bare heads, without using any protective gear, which always poses a potential risk of occupational safety loss. Just one minute of carelessness or lack of vigilance can cause a work accident to occur at any time, even endangering lives.

Mr. Hua Van Thu, Deputy Head of the District's Internal Affairs Department, said: The district currently has 7 forest product processing facilities, mainly concentrated in the communes of Tan Lien and Gia Cat... Forest product processing facilities not only contribute to diversifying products and increasing value, but also create jobs for many local workers. However, forest product processing activities at these facilities always pose a risk of occupational safety loss. From 2022 to present, there has been 1 occupational accident in the district at a peeled wood processing facility (Gia Cat commune) that killed 1 person.

According to statistics from the Provincial Forest Protection Department, the province currently has 129 forest product processing establishments operating regularly and stably and 34 establishments operating seasonally. Of these, there are 31 enterprises, 2 cooperatives and 130 individual and household establishments; main products include: peeled boards, plywood, formwork, chopped wood chips... The average forest product processing output is about 45,000 m³ of various types of wood/year. Forest product processing establishments have created jobs for about 2,400 local workers.

Not only in Cao Loc district, according to the provincial authorities, in reality, most owners of forest product processing facilities and workers working at processing facilities in the province have not been properly trained; they lack basic knowledge and techniques in operating machinery, and the operation of production equipment is mainly based on word of mouth experience. Many workers at wood processing facilities are still subjective, do not comply with regulations, do not fully and properly use labor protection equipment during work... These are potential causes of very high risk of occupational accidents. Accidents can occur when workers use cutting machines, rolling machines, and wood peeling machines, with the risk of electrical and mechanical accidents...

According to statistics from the Department of Home Affairs, from 2022 to present, the whole province has had 3 occupational accidents in the forest products processing sector, killing 3 people. The accidents mainly occurred during the operation of specialized machinery and during the transportation and loading of wood materials at the processing workshop. The cause was that the owners of the forest products processing facility had not provided adequate personal protective equipment for workers; had not checked and supervised the compliance with safety regulations of workers. In addition, workers were subjective, disregarded accidents, and did not follow safety procedures during work.

Ms. Hoang Thi Le, Head of the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Insurance, Department of Home Affairs, said: Forestry processing is a special production industry with a high risk of occupational accidents. Through inspection and supervision, the competent authorities have reminded and required enterprises and owners of forest processing facilities to strictly comply with regulations on occupational safety and hygiene; fully equip protective equipment; develop, promulgate and require workers to strictly comply with internal rules, procedures and safety measures... However, occupational accidents still occur in the province in the field of forest processing. In the coming time, the department will continue to step up inspection and supervision of compliance with regulations on occupational safety and hygiene, especially measures to ensure occupational safety at the workplace, during operations. At the same time, organizations and individuals involved in forest processing activities are required to strictly comply with issued technical safety procedures; Workers must strictly comply with safety regulations when using cutting machines and peeling machines; at the same time, they must not operate machines or work without safety training to ensure absolute occupational safety in the area.

It can be seen that the awareness of the owners of processing facilities and workers is the decisive factor in the issue of safety in forest product processing activities. Hopefully, in the coming time, in addition to the State management of the functional sector, organizations and individuals working in the forest product processing sector will proactively raise awareness and strictly comply with regulations, so that occupational accidents in forest product processing activities are no longer a concern.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/noi-lo-tai-cac-co-so-che-bien-lam-san-5050021.html