Manufacturing & Engineering UK-wide

Wood-products manufacturer: compliance checklist

Use this checklist to confirm your wood-products business (SIC division 16) meets its obligations before a production run. Work through the universal workplace items every manufacturer shares, then the sections for placing products on the market and for wood packaging. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Guide summary

Work through this checklist before each production run. Confirm workplace safety, environmental permits, and product rules. If you answer no to any item, fix it before you start.

  • Write risk assessments and set up safe systems for sawing, planing, wood dust, noise and handling
  • Control wood dust under COSHH – hardwood dust is a carcinogen
  • Guard and maintain all machinery under PUWER
  • Assess manual handling and fire/explosion risks
  • Hold employers’ liability insurance – at least £5 million cover
  • Check if your plant needs an environmental permit from your nation’s agency
  • Set up a due-diligence system under the UK Timber Regulation if you place timber on the market
  • Get a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking for construction products
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Related guides in Health & Safety

Use this checklist to confirm your wood-products business meets its obligations before a production run. Work through each item and answer yes or no. If you answer no, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Workplace health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain and by HSENI in Northern Ireland. Environmental permits are issued by the regulator for your nation (Environment Agency, NRW, SEPA or NIEA). The timber, construction-products and general-product-safety regimes are Great Britain regimes — UKCA is the GB mark where one is required and CE marking also continues to be accepted on the GB market. If you supply Northern Ireland, check the position separately. Each section names the body that applies.

Section 1 — Every wood-products manufacturer

These workplace and employment duties apply to every manufacturer, whatever you make. Confirm each one before you start production.

  1. 1

    Have you written your risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place?

    Your general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your people. Risk-assess sawing, planing and panel machinery, wood dust, noise and handling, and put safe systems of work, training and supervision in place. If not, follow "Set up and run a safe wood-products factory".

  2. 2

    Have you assessed and controlled wood dust under COSHH?

    COSHH requires control of hardwood and softwood dust (a carcinogen and asthmagen) and the adhesives, resins, preservatives and finishes you use, with local exhaust ventilation on saws and sanders and health surveillance where required.

  3. 3

    Is your machinery safeguarded, maintained and inspected under PUWER?

    Saws, planers, spindle moulders, sanders and panel machinery must be guarded and braked, maintained and safely isolated for setting and maintenance under PUWER.

  4. 4

    Have you assessed manual handling and carried out your fire risk assessment?

    Reduce hazardous handling of logs, timber and panels. Assess fire and wood-dust explosion risk from timber, dust, packaging and finishes under the fire-safety regime for your nation.

  5. 5

    Do you hold employers' liability insurance and meet your equality and data duties?

    Hold at least £5 million of cover once you employ anyone. Do not discriminate under the Equality Act 2010 (or separate NI equality law enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland). Comply with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, registering with the ICO unless exempt.

  6. 6

    Have you checked whether your plant needs an environmental permit?

    Larger panel-board and wood-processing plants, and combustion plant burning wood waste, need an environmental permit from the Environment Agency, NRW, SEPA or NIEA. Confirm whether yours is in scope before you operate.

Section 2 — Placing products on the market

If you make products to sell, confirm the regime for each product. The timber, construction-products and general-product-safety regimes are Great Britain regimes. Check Northern Ireland separately if you supply there.

  1. 1

    Do you operate a UK Timber Regulation due-diligence system?

    If you place timber or timber products on the GB market for the first time, you must run a due-diligence system to exclude illegally harvested timber and keep records for at least five years, enforced by OPSS. If not, follow "Place wood and wood products on the market".

  2. 2

    Do your construction products carry a declaration of performance and the right marking?

    Structural timber, glulam and construction panels covered by a designated standard need a declaration of performance and conformity marking (UKCA, or CE which is still accepted on the GB market), with an approved body where the standard requires it.

  3. 3

    Do you control formaldehyde from your wood-based panels?

    Make particle board, MDF, fibreboard, plywood and OSB to the recognised emission class (E1) and control worker exposure under COSHH. There is no in-force UK REACH emission restriction in Great Britain yet (HSE is reviewing it), but the EU REACH restriction applies for the NI and EU markets from 2026. Keep supplier information and test evidence.

  4. 4

    Do other consumer goods meet the general product safety duty?

    Wood and cork consumer goods outside a specific regime must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, enforced by OPSS and Trading Standards.

Section 3 — Wood packaging for export

Complete this section if you make solid-wood packaging — pallets, crates, cases or dunnage — that travels internationally.

  1. 1

    Is your solid-wood packaging treated and marked to ISPM 15?

    Pallets, crates and dunnage for international transport must be heat-treated and marked to ISPM 15 by a business registered and audited under the scheme run by the Forestry Commission and its plant-health partners. Keep treatment records. If not, follow section E of "Place wood and wood products on the market".

If you answered no to anything

Work through the guide linked in that item before your production run. The two task guides — the safe-plant spine and placing products on the market — set out what to do. Start from the router if you are not sure which apply to you.

Official sources

Authoritative health and safety, timber-legality and product-conformity guidance.