Safety equipment every joiner needs when starting their own business

Thinking about taking the leap and setting up your own joinery business? It’s easy to get swept up in the financial or marketing details, but it’s important not to overlook the task of creating a safe working space. Whether you’re working alone, or with a team of employees – it’s essential you follow health and safety regulations.

Woodworking is a trade that often involves a lot of sharp tools and machinery. It’s imperative that safety equipment is available and used correctly within your new woodworking business. Safety equipment prevents life-changing injuries, and business-threatening legal claims. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together a short rundown of the basic safety equipment required in joinery.

Respirators

Woodworking creates a lot of dust and small particles – whether you’re sanding or sawing. This dust is also known as “coarse inhalable particles” and can cause tiny cuts to the lungs when inhaled. These lacerations can lead to a whole host of breathing problems, from lung infections to permanent scarring. It’s essential you and your team utilise high-quality respirators or face masks to minimise this risk as much as possible.

Face shields and goggles

Working with wood doesn’t just create harmful dust – larger chunks of material also pose a risk. Especially when using a lathe, you’re likely to encounter some flying wood chips at one point or another. That’s why it’s essential to wear safety goggles, and sometimes face shields, while working in the woodshop. Prevent life-changing wounds and damaged eyesight, and ensure face shields and safety goggles are available onsite.

Hearing protection

Just about all woodworking machinery makes a loud noise while in operation. Over time, excessive exposure to noise that’s above safe levels can cause permanent hearing issues. From tinnitus to total hearing loss, you and your team are at risk of developing serious auditory issues without the proper protection. Be sure to provide adequate hearing protection, such as ear plugs and muffs, within your workspace.  

Gloves

Woodworking can wreak havoc on your hands. From splinters to burns and cuts, there’s no end to the possible hand injuries a wood workshop offers. To provide some basic hand protection to your joiners, make sure you keep a good range of protective gloves on hand. While it’s imperative everyone in your workshop is properly trained to avoid more serious injuries, gloves can help reduce those smaller nicks and scuffs from everyday woodwork.

Fire prevention

Working with wood is always a fire risk. As one of the most flammable materials on earth, it’s essential to have adequate fire protection and prevention in place within your joinery business. From fire exit hardware and intumescent strips, to fire signage and extinguishers, you’ll need to invest in a wide range of equipment to meet satisfactory fire safety regulations.

Safety signage

There’s plenty of hazards to avoid in any workshop. It’s important you signpost these correctly to keep you and your team safe. It’s likely you’ll need to display a wide range of safety signs within your workspace in order to keep site users fully informed, while also complying with health and safety standards. From prohibition signs ensuring joiners don’t unknowingly create risks, to safety and control signs to explain protective processes, you’ll definitely need to invest in a range of safety signage for your new joinery business.

With the correct knowledge, practices and safety equipment, we’re sure your new joinery business will be an excellent place of work for you and your team. For more helpful information surrounding a range of trades, be sure to take a look at our other blogs. You can also find a wide range of high-quality safety equipment from IronmongeryDirect, at affordable prices.