Introduction

The Modern wood craft is an industrial company located on 7 Red Hills Road Kingston
10. For the purpose of the completion of my CSEC examinations SBA, workers on the industrial
grounds were interviewed so that I can compile important information such as legal policies on
safety health and welfare and moral approaches to handling safety health and welfare issues.

Careers
During the visit to Modern Wood Craft, I have observed a variety of careers that the
industry deploys in different departments. Some of these jobs are:

Assistant Supervisors
Supervisors
Manager
Industrial workers (Hands on workers)
Modern Woodcraft employs persons who are qualified and specializes in their
various line of work in their own departments or areas. Some of these areas are the rough
cut area, upholstery area, sanding area, wood carving area, etc. These areas are necessary
to improve the quality and efficiency in production.
The qualifications for a job at Modern Woodcraft are somewhat similar in that the
type of labour falls between semi-skilled and unskilled. The company employ workers
with basic carpentry skills and subjects such as Maths and English at the CSEC level and
at least a level two at HEART certificate.

Norms
The customary operations of the employees on the plant from the point of
checking in to the point checking out are organized to increase the efficiency of
production within the organisation. The employees are expected to sign the logbook that
is appointed to them upon arrival at approximately 8:30am. This is to mark the time
which their work has started upon to the time when they sign out at approximately
5:30pm as some of the workers are paid by the hour. Other norms that are portrayed on
the plant are that employees are expected to take their lunch hour between 12:30pm to
1:30pm.

Regulations
I have observed that there are certain rules that workers must abide to when
working on site. These rules are linked to the daily operations that are carried out by the
employees themselves.

These regulations are guided by the managers and also by

Government bodies such as the Bureau of Standards which regulates the making of
furniture or a job. Some of the regulations at Modern Woodcraft are as follows:
No loitering on the plant or premises during work hours.
Workers most dress and wear the appropriate gears for the job or operation
that they are carrying out.
No smoking must be evident whatsoever on the plant.

CODES
All workers are expected to adhere to a code of conduct, some of which are posted on notice
boards.

Workers are expected to follow all safety precautions. Therefore most of these

precautions are posted up in the workshop and on the various machines.

Example:

May cause electric shock!!!

Do not touch!!!

Impact of technology on Careers

Technology has impacted the careers at Modern Woodcraft both in a negative and
positive way. Due to the implementation of technology, the company can produce a wider
variety of jobs in a shorter time period and is achieved without much hassle and stress.

The

replacement of the human labour on the plant with machines and high quality technology has one
of the main forces that are eroding many of its employees. The Pie chart below shows the
number of people that have become unemployed due to the replacement of human labour with
the use of technology.

Comparison between persons who are stil working at modern Woodcraft Versus those who are unemployed because of Capital intensive Production

55%

45%

Unemployment
because of Capital
intensive Production
at Modern
woodcraft
Persons who are
stil working at
Modern Woodcraft

Based on various interviews between the employees at Modern Woodcraft, approximately

45% of the persons who used to work on the plant have lost their jobs because of the replacement
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of human labour with modern technology. The other 55% of the persons who are employed at
Modern Woodcraft are the ones who are trained to operate these technologies or that their skills
are impeccable.

Security
The premises at Modern Woodcraft take the form of surveillance cameras and security guards.
The surveillance cameras are needed to provide a view of the places that are off bounds where
workers world not be on a regular basis. The security guards work in the evening and on nights
when all of the workers are gone.

ENVIRONMENTAL
Modern Woodcrafts environment is kept clean and free of debris and other obstacles that
might cause harm or danger. This allows for the employees to mobilise freely, thus, improving
productivity in the workshop.

DISPOSAL OF WASTE AND CLEANING OF THE

WORKSHOP
The pieces of left over lumber from the working process are used for different purposes
that may be of use. These lumbers can be used for making saw dust particles that can be sold to
farmers that raise chickens or plant crops. This makes way for alternative business opportunities
for the company. Other saw dusts are used in the workshop for filling of creases and corners of
the finished structures to reinforce and enhance its final features and appearance. Other waste
lumbers are used to make widening joints in the workshop.
The machines are cleaned every week and are kept clean and oiled for the execution of
the day-to-day operations in the workshop. This ensures efficiency of the workflow in the
workshop.

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LEGAL POLICIES
Modern Woodcraft strives to adhere to all government regulations that are required by
them. All of its employees are insured so that if they should meet in any case of injuries or
accidents, they are properly compensated by the company.

SAFETY
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Safety is the ability to free oneself from harm or danger. This is very important in the
workshop as it is the foundation that all of the employees work on. Inside the workshop,
workers are expected to wear all the necessary protective gears that are required such as the hard
hat, overall or aprons, goggles, gloves etc. when operating the machines.

When operating the table saw the employees are expected to wear their overalls and
goggles etc. Caution must also be taken when operating the machine by lining their work
properly against the fence, using the proper blade or tool for the work that they are doing, etc.

WELFARE
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At Modern Woodcraft they try their best to ensure the safety of their workers. If a worker is
injured on the job then they have a close access to a hospital, that is, the University of the West
Indies Hospital. There is also a nurse on the compound to apply first aid care to casualties.

Major Findings
The visit to Modern Woodcraft has established various findings that are fundamental to the
company moving forward. Some of these findings are as follows:

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 There is lack in machinery and equipment in the companys workshop. Machines in areas
such as rough cut and carving area are limited. If the company could acquire these
machineries then the efficiency in productivity could improve.
The company uses mainly Mahogany timber in its production process
There is a shortage in the safety gears in the workshop and this minimizes the assurance
of safety in the workshop.
The company could take on more employees in its accounting department to analyse its
fiscal advantage or downfall. This will enable it to better decide on the path moving
forward.

Recommendations
Based on the above findings, various recommendations were suggested to support the operations
in various areas. Some of these recommendations are as follows:

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 The company can make sure that all the persons that they employ has a basic knowledge
and know-how about the machines in the workshop, therefore, the first three weeks of
employment served at Modern Woodcraft could be used for secondary training. This is to
ensure that all workers are fully aware and well skilled for the job.
Modern Woodcraft can use the extra money earned from the sawdust that was sold to
purchase safety gears and equipment. If this is done then the company run freely with the
workers being adequately protected from any harm or danger.

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