Rosecrance John, Lagerstrom Elise, Murgia Lelia
Colorado State University, Occupational Ergonomics and Safety Program, 1681 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA 80523.
University of Sassari, Dipartimento di AGRARIA, Viale Italia 39 - 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Chem Eng Trans. 2017 Jun;58:115-120. doi: 10.3303/CET1758020.
Work in the forestry industry is recognised internationally as high risk for occupational injuries and deaths. Forestry logging operations generally involve felling trees, skidding (moving trees and logs from the stump to the point of delivery), and transporting trees to mills. Loggers need to recognize the hazards associated with identifying dangerous (dead) trees, felling, delimbing, bucking, debarking, chipping, skidding, yarding, loading, unloading, and transporting logs. The purpose of this study was to determine the specific work conditions and job factors that workers identified as greatest risk for injury or death in logging operations in the intermountain region of Montana and Idaho. The study investigators recruited professional loggers through logging companies and professional logging associations in the states of Idaho and Montana. The professional loggers were asked to participate in focus group meetings regarding their perception of the association between logging tasks and logging injuries / deaths. One focus group session of 16 participants for 90 minutes was conducted and moderated by the investigators. The focus group moderator posed a series of questions designed to promote group discussion regarding logging practices and injuries. Injury data from workers' compensation reports was also shared with the participants and served as a basis for the focus group questions. Felling trees was often associated with injuries sustained from falling branches. Conventional chainsaw logging and skyline skidding were perceived as high-risk processes. Loggers indicated that being struck by the carriage attached to the skyline was a significant risk. Other risks identified included being hit by the butt of swinging trees when that became snagged or caught on tree stumps as they were being skidded up the slope. Workers identified working on steep slopes as well as working in below freezing temperatures as a major risk for injury. Physical fatigue while performing strenuous work for 8-10 hours was also identified as a risk for injury. The results of this study identified work conditions (extreme cold temperatures, steep incline of mountain slope), as well as job factors (felling trees, skyline skidding, driving logging trucks) that professional loggers perceived as contributing to increased risk for occupational related injury and death. The conditions and factors identified will be used to target interventions that reduce the risk of logging injuries in the future. Due to the remote nature of the logging work in this region, emergency first-aid training among the crewmembers was thought to be a critical part of logging safety. A culture promoting safety was also stressed for professional loggers.
林业工作在国际上被公认为是职业伤害和死亡的高风险行业。林业伐木作业通常包括砍伐树木、集材（将树木和原木从树桩处运至交付地点）以及将树木运输至工厂。伐木工需要认识到与识别危险（枯死）树木、砍伐、去枝、锯截、剥皮、削片、集材、拖运、装载、卸载以及运输原木相关的危险。本研究的目的是确定蒙大拿州和爱达荷州山间地区的伐木工所认为的伐木作业中导致受伤或死亡风险最大的具体工作条件和作业因素。研究人员通过爱达荷州和蒙大拿州的伐木公司和专业伐木协会招募了专业伐木工。这些专业伐木工被要求参加焦点小组会议，讨论他们对伐木任务与伐木受伤/死亡之间关联的看法。研究人员组织并主持了一场由16名参与者参加、时长90分钟的焦点小组会议。焦点小组主持人提出了一系列问题，旨在促进关于伐木作业和受伤情况的小组讨论。来自工伤赔偿报告的受伤数据也与参与者分享，并作为焦点小组问题的依据。砍伐树木往往与被掉落的树枝砸伤有关。传统的链锯伐木和索道集材被视为高风险作业流程。伐木工表示，被连接在索道上的跑车撞到是一项重大风险。其他识别出的风险包括，在将树木沿着斜坡集材时，树木被树桩卡住或缠住，其根部摆动时击中工人。工人们认为在陡坡上作业以及在冰点以下的温度环境中工作是受伤的主要风险。在进行8至10小时的高强度工作时身体疲劳也被视为受伤风险。本研究结果确定了工作条件（极寒温度、山坡陡坡）以及作业因素（砍伐树木、索道集材、驾驶伐木卡车），专业伐木工认为这些因素会增加与职业相关的受伤和死亡风险。所确定的条件和因素将用于针对未来降低伐木受伤风险的干预措施。由于该地区伐木工作地处偏远，机组人员的紧急急救培训被认为是伐木安全的关键部分。对于专业伐木工，强调安全文化也很重要。
