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.
- 3-D Printing Specialists
- Advanced Manufacturing Engineers
- Advanced Manufacturing Technicians
- Advertising Managers
- Apparel Industry Workers
- Appliance Service Technicians
- Automation Engineers
- Automotive Industry Workers
- Beverage Industry Workers
- Bindery Workers
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Biotechnology Production Workers
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Business Managers
- Canning and Preserving Industry Workers
- Ceramics Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Computer-Aided Design Drafters and Technicians
- Continuous Improvement Managers
- Coremakers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Cost Estimators
- Customer Service Representatives
- Dairy Products Manufacturing Workers
- Drafters
- Drone Manufacturing Workers
- Electrical Engineering Technologists
- Electrical Engineers
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Electronics Engineers
- Electroplating Workers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Export-Import Specialists
- Farmers
- Fashion Designers
- Forge Shop Workers
- Furniture Designers
- Futurists
- Glass Manufacturing Workers
- Green Marketers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Greeting Card Designers and Writers
- Hardware Engineers
- Heat Treaters
- Industrial Chemicals Workers
- Industrial Designers
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Industrial Radiographers
- Industrial Safety and Health Technicians
- Industrial Traffic Managers
- Instrumentation Technicians
- Internet of Things Developers
- Jewelers and Jewelry Repairers
- Job and Die Setters
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Laser Technicians
- Layout Workers
- Leather Tanning and Finishing Workers
- Logging Industry Workers
- Logistics Analysts
- Logistics Engineers
- Manufacturing Engineering Technologists
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Manufacturing Production Technicians
- Manufacturing Supervisors
- Market Research Analysts
- Marketing Managers
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineering Technicians
- Mechanical Engineers
- Metallurgical Engineers
- Metallurgical Technicians
- Microelectronics Technicians
- Millwrights
- Molders
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Numerical Control Tool Programmers
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Optical Engineers
- Optics Technicians
- Packaging Engineers
- Packaging Machinery Technicians
- Paper Processing Workers
- Pharmaceutical Industry Workers
- Plastics Products Manufacturing Workers
- Precision Machinists
- Precision Metalworkers
- Prepress Workers
- Product Designers
- Product Development Directors
- Product Management Directors
- Product Managers
- Quality Control Engineers
- Quality Control Technicians
- Radio Frequency Engineers
- Remote Health Care Engineers
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Integrators
- Robotics Technicians
- Rubber Goods Production Workers
- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Semiconductor Technicians
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Silverware Artisans and Workers
- Software Engineers
- Sporting Goods Production Workers
- Steel Industry Workers
- Supply Chain Managers
- Tailors and Dressmakers
- Textile Manufacturing Workers
- Tobacco Products Industry Workers
- Toy Industry Workers
- Traffic Managers
- Watch and Clock Repairers
- Welders and Welding Technicians
- Wood Science and Technology Workers