Furniture Manufacturing Workers

Conditions vary for workers in the furniture manufacturing industry, depending on the employer and the particular job. Employees may work in clean, well-lit factories with good ventilation or in shops where work areas are small and dusty.

Most companies provide their employees with extensive training in safety procedures and require them to wear protective gear. Cabinetmakers and other woodworkers, for example, must contend with sawdust and operate noisy power tools, so they need to wear protective clothing, safety glasses, and ear protectors. Finishers and others who handle volatile materials, such as varnishes, need dust or vapor masks and safety suits, and employers must ensure that fumes and particles are removed from the atmosphere in the areas in which these employees work. Finally, upholsterers usually wear protective gloves and clothing, since they typically use sharp tools on the job.

Some jobs in the furniture manufacturing field require that employees bend, stoop, lift, and move heavy pieces of furniture, stand for long periods of time, and assume awkward positions. In general, furniture manufacturing work can be very strenuous and physically demanding.

Most furniture employees work 35 to 40 hours per week. Occasionally, workers may be required to put in some overtime when a company has a lot of orders to fill. Self-employed furniture specialists typically work longer hours than those on staff at factories or other companies, depending on the amount of business they have.