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Over one hundred photographs document the work and philosophy of the celebrated woodworker who has created furniture displayed in museums, the White House, and famous homes.

Background Wood dust in a form of inhalable particulates can penetrate the lung tissues and affect respiratory health. Woodwork factory workers are at a greater risk of developing respiratory health problems because of exposure in their working environment, but existing data were few. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms, associated factors, and concentration of personal total wood dust level among medium-scale woodwork factory workers. Methods An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 506 woodwork factory workers. We selected study participants using a simple random sampling technique. We assessed chronic respiratory symptoms using the British Medical Research Council respiratory symptoms questionnaire with a few modifications. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors. Forty dust measurements were collected from 20 randomly selected workers using a closed-face cassette (CFC) personal sampler. We analyzed the dust samples gravimetrically using a standard microbalance scale. Results We recruited a random sample of 506 workers in the study with a response rate of 98%. The prevalence of chronic respiratory health symptoms among woodworkers was 69.8% with a prevalence of cough (54.6%), phlegm (52.2%), wheezing (44.6%), breathlessness (42.1%), and chest pain (42.9%). Past occupational dust exposure history (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI; 1.09–4.01), work experience > 5 years (AOR = 9.18, 95% CI; 5.27–16.00), using bio-fuel as energy for cooking (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI; 1.44–4.07), and having no occupational safety and health training (AOR = 3.38, 95% CI; 1.20–9.49) were factors that significantly associated with chronic respiratory symptoms among woodwork workers. The geometric mean (GM) of dust exposure level among woodworkers was 10.27 mg/m 3 , which exceeded the limit of 10 mg/m 3 set by the ACGIH. Conclusions High prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms was reported from woodwork factory workers. Increased work- experience, using bio-fuel as an energy source for cooking, past occupational dust exposure history, and having no occupational safety and health training were identified risk factors. The measured average personal wood dust exposure level was above the recommended occupational threshold limit value. Therefore, workers’ wood dust exposure reduction and control methods and respiratory health awareness programs should be implemented.

Ergonomic assessment and validation are important in designing sustainable forest operations. Measurement and grading play a central role in the wood supply chain and updated solutions have started to emerge for such activities. Procuring biometric data by mobile scanning platforms has been shown to have a high potential in replacing traditional wood measurement methods, but no assessments were carried out to see if these solutions are sustainable from an ergonomics point of view. Based on more than 63 k still images, this study evaluates the working postures of three measurement options, namely, traditional measurement, scanning by a smartphone, and scanning by a commercial laser scanner. The OWAS method was used as an assessment framework to compute the postural risk indexes. A correspondence analysis was implemented to explore the association between the studied work tasks and severity of exposure, and the postural similarity of tasks was evaluated by the Canberra metric. The use of digital measurement solutions seems to be better from a postural point of view since their risk indexes were well below 200. In contrast, traditional wood measurement tasks produced postural risk indexes that were close to 250. By considering the body components, digital measurement solutions seemed to indicate a distinct postural profile. Moreover, the digital solutions stood well apart in the range of the first two action categories, indicating no urgent need for postural improvement, which was not the case for manual measurements. The main conclusion of the study is that state-of-the-art digital solutions are better from a postural point of view. For full validation, population-level studies should be carried out.

Background Many workers are exposed to wood dust (WD) and formaldehyde (FA), whose carcinogenic activity is supposed to be oxidative stress-mediated. This study aims to assess to what extent the occupational exposure to WD and FA, albeit within regulatory limits, could result in OS induction in a woodworkers’ population. Methods The sample population consisted of 127 woodworkers from 4 factories and 111 unexposed controls. Individual exposure was assessed by personal air-samplers. Each participant enrolled in the study filled out a questionnaire and provided a urinary sample to quantify OS biomarkers, namely 15-F 2t -IsoProstane (15-F 2t -IsoP) and 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGuo). The main confounding factor for OS, i.e. tobacco smoking exposure, was assessed by measuring cotinine in urine samples. Results Woodworkers were exposed to significantly higher amounts of WD and FA as compared to controls ( p  < 0.001). Among OS biomarkers, 15-F 2t -IsoP showed statistically significant higher values in woodworkers compared to controls ( p  = 0.004). A significant, positive correlation was observed between 15-F 2t -IsoP and 8-oxo-dGuo ( p  = 0.005), cotinine ( p  = 0.05), FA ( p  < 0.001) and WD ( p  = 0.01); 8-oxo-dGuo was significantly correlated with cotinine ( p  = 0.001) and WD ( p  = 0.004). In addition, WD and FA were significantly correlated each other ( p  < 0.001). Conclusions The study confirms that WD and FA may induce OS in woodworkers, and highlights that even the compliance with occupational exposure limits can result in measurable biological outcomes.