IJFWS
Assessments of environment and safety in small and
micro-enterprise: Furniture factory
Pradeep Kumar Poddar
1
and Omprakash Sahu
2*
1
Department of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, University Malaysia Pahang, Kauntan, Malaysia
2*
Department of Chemical Engineering, KIOT, Wollo University (SW), Ethiopia
The dynamic role of micro and small enterprises in developing countries as engines through
which the growth objectives of developing countries can be achieved has long been recognized.
Furniture Factory has its own impact and issue on the society and environment. Wood furniture
manufacturing process uses many chemicals and natural resources. It generates considerable
amounts of waste materials as well. The operations activities include drying, sawing, waxing,
sanding, and finishing, all of which may release pollutants into the air and may contribute to
health concerns in the operation and in the community. In most developing countries, small and
micro industry faces constraints both at start up phases and after their establishment. The
objective of this study has been developed to discover how to Improve work environment and
worker safety and to comply with the standards. Moreover, to further minimize impacts on
human health and the environment.
Keywords: Chemical, environment, health’s, waste, recycle
INTRODUCTION
The establishment of the small and micro enterprise
furniture factory producer’s organization tries to solve
the problem of unemployment and provide quality
products for the society, which simplify the task of
government (Rami and Ahmed, 2007). However, there
are different chemicals, dusts and solid wastes produced
during production process by cutting, splitting to lumber
size, surface coating, preserving of wood by chemicals,
sanding with the combination of chemicals after coating
and applied to increase the attractiveness of the
appearance (Paul and Rahel, 2010). At the end of
production process, these wastes would be released in
the form of gases and solid wastes to the environmental.
Finishing chemicals also released from coated surface in
to the air, which may contribute to health concerns in the
operation and in the community (Dereje, 2008). Moreover
wood furniture manufacturing facilities deal with many
things that can affect the environment (Martin, 2010).
Materials such as paints, wood treatments, stains,
varnishes, polishes, and adhesives can harm the
environment and people if they are not properly
managed. If the current situation continuous in this trend,
the problem will not remain in local rather worse or
aggravates at the national level which directly affected
social economic development of the country (John et al.,
2007).
*Correspondence author: Omprakash Sahu,
Department of Chemical Engineering, KIOT, Wollo
University, Kombolcha (SW), Ethiopia.
Email:ops0121@gmail.com; Tel: +251933520653
International Journal of Forestry and Wood Science
Vol. 2(1), pp. 023-030, January, 2015. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2167-0465x
Research Article