Sawmills

Overview

In 1870, there were 173 sawmills in Oregon and throughout much of the 20th century, sawmills were a defining symbol of the state. Oregon has fewer sawmills today; technological improvements have made those remaining more efficient and many mills have retooled to concentrate on getting more value from second- and third-generation timber. As a result, there are fewer work-related injuries in the mills – and the majority of those are sprains and strains caused by overexertion.

Oregon OSHA’s safety requirements for sawmills cover log and lumber handling, sawing, trimming, and planing; waste disposal; dry kilns; finishing; shipping; storage; yard equipment; and the power tools used for the work.

All available content

Publications

Hazard alerts
- Point of operation guarding on jump saws and inverted cut-off saws
  Hazard alert about machine guarding at the point of operation.
  English 08/16/2018
- Securing log loads when binders and wrappers are removed
  A log truck driver was seriously injured when he was struck by a log that fell from his load as he was removing the wrappers at a log yard. When binders and wrappers are properly in place, the risk of logs falling off of the load is eliminated.
  English 08/06/2019
Other
- Banding coil handling
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: An employee working at the bander was concerned about banding coil handling. Each strapping coil weighs about 85 pounds and has to be lifted from the pallet, carried to the reel and lowered onto the reel. The coils are difficult to grip and the task produces awkward trunk postures and forceful exertions, which are serious hazards. The NIOSH recommended weight limit for a job like this is about 35 pounds.
  English
- Planing mill hula saw operator
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: The hula saw operator leans forward and reaches to grab and pull the boards closer. These awkward postures and forceful exertions can cause shoulder and back injuries.
  English
- Plywood putty patch line
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: At the plywood mill, the putty patch operators fill holes and gaps in the surface veneer using putty guns. The operators repetitively squeeze putty gun triggers while reaching and twisting.
  English
- Sander smoothing bars
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: Our Ergonomics Task Force (initiated as part of our SHARP certification process) chose our Kimwood 8 head, 5 foot wide sander as an area where there is potential for injury due to poor ergonomics. The group evaluated work practices at the sander by video taping activities where operators perform physical tasks, and reviewed the tape in a group setting. From this, the removal and installation of 80 pound smoothing bars (as seen in the pictures) was identified as the task with the highest risk for injury.
  English
- Sawmill chop saw/debarker control room
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: The operators twist their necks to the left to view logs on the log infeed deck and 180 degrees to the right to view the video monitor of the down stream conveyor. They lean forward to see the process, hit their knees on the controls, and have an extended reach for the controls. Also, the chop saw cuts directly in front.
  English
- Sawmill log scaling
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: The employee bends repeatedly to measure logs.
  English
- Sawmill trim saw feeder operator
  Industry-specific ergonomic solutions: wood products
  Problem: The operator lifts and adjusts every board with the right hand and reaches back and twists to operate pedestal controls with the left hand.
  English
References
- Rules with requirements
  We get many calls and emails from employers asking the same question. It begins: “Which of your rules have requirements for…” You can finish the sentence with words like “recordkeeping,” “employee training,” and “written documents.” To answer those questions, we’ve organized these rules requirements into a filterable, sortable, searchable table.
  English 05/10/2019

Education and training

Resources
- Public Education Workshop Schedule January-June
  Schedule for our workshop classes from January through June. Attending an Oregon OSHA class helps you gain important knowledge and skills.
  English 02/05/2025

Rules and rule-related

Final Rules
- Division 2, Subdivision R, Special Industries (includes Grain Handling Facilities, Ornamental Tree & Shrub Services, Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills, Sawmills, Telecommunications)
  6-2017 Word version
Interpretations
- Securing lumber loads within yard
  06/22/2004
- Stacking materials (safe heights)
  09/01/2009
- Using stickers to ensure stability for stacking of lumber.
  02/23/2004

Sawmills

Overview

All available content

Publications

Education and training

Rules and rule-related

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