The State of Industrial Accidents in Wood Workshops and Sawmills: The Case of the Western Region of Ghana

This research was conducted to determine the rate of accidents that occur in the woodworkshops and sawmills with particular reference to Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The survey involved the use of questionnaire, on-the-spot assessment and interviews. A total number of 70 employees and 50 employers answered the questionnaire. The data collected were subjected to descriptive. The results indicated that accidents did not depend on the length of service a worker has been in employment. It again showed that spindle molder had the highest accident rate among the woodwork machines. Regarding systems for recording accidents in the woodworkshops and sawmills, 54.0% of the respondents indicated that they had no system for recording accidents. Furthermore, the study revealed that breakdown maintenance recorded the highest percentage of 48. 3% among the five types of machine maintenance related accidents. On provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), 8.6% of the employers said they provide employees with respirators, goggles, earmuffs, safety boots and overcoats. Also 15.7% provided respirators and goggles and 30% provided only respirators while 45.7% did not provide anything. Moreover, 62.0% of managers and supervisors responded that they had no program to train machinists. Almost all the employees of sawmills and woodworkshops studied in this research had been involved in not less than five accidents. Some of the accidents could have been avoided if proper safety measures had been taken.