MDF cutting safety

CITB has developed this standard in discussion with industry

Duration

Minimum 1 day of 6 learning hours

Purpose/scope

The purpose of training delivered against this standard is to provide candidates with an introduction to the hazards associated with cutting Medium density fibreboards (MDF)

The scope includes:

• risks associated with working with MDF
• MDF identification
• precautions that should be taken when working with MDF
• personal protective equipment (PPE)
• respiratory protective equipment (RPE).

Occupational relevance

Training delivered against this standard would be relevant to the following occupational groups:

• operative and craft
• supervision
• management and leadership.

Candidate pre-requisites

There are no candidate pre-requisites as part of this standard.

Instruction/supervision

As a minimum, course instructors must be able to demonstrate that, in relation to this standard, they have:

• A train the trainer or instructional techniques course certificate
• Successfully completed training to this standard 
• At least 2 years relevant industrial experience
• A verifiable CV.

Delivery

Delivery may be in an on or off the job environment.

All materials and equipment must be of a suitable quality and quantity for candidates to achieve learning outcomes, and must comply with relevant legislation.

The class size and candidate/instructor ratio must allow training to be delivered in a safe manner and enable candidates to achieve the learning outcomes.

This standard is considered to contain 51 per cent or more theoretical training.

Assessment

For the successful completion of training, the trainer will be required to make a declaration of the learner’s contribution during the course and that they are confident the learner has understood the content of the course.

Quality assurance

Quality assurance against this standard will require initial approval of the training organisation and their content mapped to the standard. 

CITB will also conduct an approval intervention, either desk-based or centre visit, to ensure the training organisation can meet the requirements of the Training Standard. 

Approved training organisations (ATOs) will be required to present information on records of training and assessment upon request to CITB for desk-based analysis. They will also be visited annually by the CITB quality assurance team.

Renewal/refresher

Health & safety executive (HSE), other relevant codes of practice or industry card scheme criteria recommend that the candidate completes a refresher of his/her training (i.e. to ensure their knowledge and/or skills are up to date) every 5 years.

Approval date

November 2018

Review cycle

Either on request or in 3 years from approval date.

Learning outcomes

The candidate will be able to

• Learning outcomes
• Identify the hazards associated with working with MDF
• Identify how MDF is labelled
• Describe the precautions that should be taken when working with MDF
• Specify the PPE and RPE requirements when working with MDF

Additional guidance to support learning outcome

• HSE FAQs on woodworking
• Respiratory protective equipment at work (PDF download)

Additional information about this standard

British standards

• BS EN 622-1:2003 Fibreboards-Specifications - Part 1: General requirements
• BS EN 622-5:2009 Fibreboards - Specifications - Part 5: Requirements for dry process boards (MDF)