An assessment of quality control in British Columbia sawmills: production, employment, trends, and priorities

As the industry moves toward producing higher valued lumber from coniferous logs, quality control (QC) activities at the sawmill are becoming critical. To provide current information and provide a benchmark for future studies, a survey was completed in 1991 to assess QC in British Columbia sawmills. A total of 50 mills, responsible for over 43 percent of 1991 lumber production in British Columbia, responded to the survey. While these results cannot be statistically inferred to the total population, differences between the two main segments of British Columbia production (the coast and the interior) were evident in markets, products, and levels of QC activities. The average mill employed 2.1 employees who spend greater than 50 percent of their time on QC activities. Education levels were higher in recently hired employees. There was a lack of QC personnel with both post-secondary education and long-term experience. Respondents expected QC activities and personnel to increase in the near future.

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