Work-related musculoskeletal disorder and vibration risk in forestry

Abstract

In forestry yards we find hard environmental conditions and dangerous tools and machinery such as chainsaws. In this context forestry workers are exposed to many safety risk factors: injuries, noise, hand-arm and whole body vibrations, dust, back pains, manual work load. The high manual work load is tiring and can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) amongst the loggers. This pathology increases with the component ‘vibration’ induced by chainsaws, tractors, skidders and other machinery. In fact, both the Whole Body Vibration (WBV) and the Hand Arm Vibration (HAV) have been detected as important risk factors, which must be strictly controlled. In this study we consider two different logger groups working in public forestry yards and we analyze their MSD risk exposure, using the Ovako Working- posture Analysis System (OWAS) technique and the 2002/44/EC vibration Directive. In the first yard, mechanical tree felling using chainsaws and manual deforestation are the tasks performed; in the second yard, the operations are mechanical tree felling and log stacking using a tractor also. The work of five loggers was analyzed, evaluating all risk types. The result was that both the OWAS index and the vibration indicators were quite high. This demonstrated the critical situation for forestry workers.