Occupational Safety and Health Concerns in Logging: A Cross-Sectional Assessment in Virginia

Kim, Sunwook; Nussbaum, Maury A.; Schoenfisch, Ashley L.; Barrett, Scott M.; Bolding, M. Chad; Dickerson, Deborah E.

doi:10.3390/f8110440

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…5 Likewise, researchers in Virginia confirmed high rates of musculoskeletal disease symptoms (98%) in a separate study, but interestingly only work-related injury (not MSD symptoms) were positively related to years of experience. 6 Age was also not positively associated with back pain but rather with neck pain in logging workers in Southern United States. 5 Considering research that has focused on logging safety or health, much of it has taken place outside the Northeastern United States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Health and safety in the Maine woods: Assemblage and baseline characteristics of a longitudinal cohort of logging workers

Scott

Hirabayashi

Graham

et al. 2020

American J Industrial Med

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Background Logging remains one of the most hazardous industries in the United States, despite many safety improvements made in the last decades. Currently, we know little about regional trends in health conditions of logging workers, especially in the Northeast. However, the forest products industry is a critical component of the Northeast's economy, especially in the State of Maine. Methods This paper reports on the baseline data of a longitudinal cohort study involving Maine loggers, aimed to assess the health and safety of the industry. Results Three hundred twenty‐five are included in these analyses, 246 mechanized loggers, and 79 conventional. On average mechanized loggers worked longer days (11.8 vs 9.7 hours) and had longer commutes from home to the woodlot (72.6 vs 40.7 minutes) than conventional loggers. For health factors, mechanized and conventional loggers had similar responses. Nearly two‐thirds of both mechanized and conventional loggers had an annual physical in the previous year, and 36.3% had seen a health specialist during that same time period. The overall work‐related injury and illness rate is 6.8 of 100 workers for this cohort. Conclusions These factors contribute to a need to work with the community on transforming logging into a safer and healthier profession for the current workforce, as well as the workforce of the future. This study provides the basis for an appropriate intervention, in collaboration with the loggers and industry stakeholders, to improve the lives of these vital workers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Health and safety in the Maine woods: Assemblage and baseline characteristics of a longitudinal cohort of logging workers

Scott

Hirabayashi

Graham

et al. 2020

American J Industrial Med

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“…Therefore, GNSS-based geofences should generally not be used to provide fine-resolution safety alerts to operators [ 13 ]. Real-time location sharing may still help improve general SA on the jobsite and has been identified as an important area for research and development in forest operations [ 13 , 20 , 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Factors Affecting Logging Injury Incidents in Idaho and the Potential for Real-Time Location-Sharing Technology to Improve Safety

Newman

Keefe

Brooks

et al. 2018

Safety

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Human factors, including inadequate situational awareness, can contribute to fatal and near-fatal traumatic injuries in logging, which is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Real-time location-sharing technology may help improve situational awareness for loggers. We surveyed and interviewed professional logging contractors in Idaho to (1) characterize current perceptions of in-woods hazards and the human factors that lead to injuries; (2) understand their perspectives on using technology-based location-sharing solutions to improve safety in remote work environments; and (3) identify logging hazard scenarios that could be mitigated using location-sharing technology. We found production pressure, fatigue, and inexperience among the most-common factors contributing to logging injuries from the perspective of participants. Potential limitations of location-sharing technology identified included potential for distraction and cost. Contractors identified several situations where the technology may help improve safety, including (1) alerting workers of potential hand-faller injuries due to lack of movement; (2) helping rigging crews to maintain safe distances from yarded trees and logs during cable logging; and (3) providing a means for equipment operators to see approaching ground workers, especially in low-visibility situations.

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“…The body region most commonly reported as having symptoms included the lower back (49.2%) and knee (37.7%). 9 A cross-sectional study of French and Norwegian forest machine operators revealed organizational risk factors were related to adverse musculoskeletal health outcomes in the neck, shoulder, and wrist. 31 Other studies revealed Swedish LMOs also have high rates of neck pain and MSDs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,8 LMO work durations can be varied. Kim et al 9 reported 67.2% of surveyed LMOs in Virginia operated logging machinery more than eight or more hours per day. Mitchell et al 10 surveyed logging company owners who implemented shift work in seven Southeastern U.S. states and reported shift durations 7.5 and 12 hours per day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Loggers in the Ark-La-Tex Region

et al. 2019

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Background: The U.S. logging sector is among the most dangerous industrial sectors, with high fatality and non-fatal injury rates. Limited research has addressed work-related musculoskeletal disorders among logging machine operators (LMOs). The purpose of this study was to estimate the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and the associated work-related risk factors among LMOs in the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas (Ark-La-Tex) logging region.Methods: A self-administered 93-item questionnaire with six different sections: (1) demographics, (2) lifestyle and medical background, (3) work experience, (4) job training, (5) occupational heat-related stress, and (6) occupational injuries and MSS was administered to LMOs (n = 88) using Qualtrics Mobile Survey Software®. Poisson regression models were used to estimate crude prevalence ratios (PR), adjusted PR [aPR], and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: Regarding organizational, ergonomic, and handling equipment occupational factors and 12-month MSS prevalence, the adjusted model controlled for age, BMI, smoking status, and drinking status. For organizational, the most problematic factors for the lower back were performing a task over and over (63.2%) and working very fast, for short periods (60.0%). For ergonomics, the most problematic factor for the lower extremities was awkward or cramped conditions (58.1%) and for the lower back was bending/twisting back awkward (55.9%). Last, for handling equipment, the most problematic for both the lower back and lower extremities was handling or grasping small objects (57.1%).Conclusion: Our findings revealed associations between work-related MSS and specific job factors (e.g., organizational, ergonomic, handling equipment, etc.), extreme environmental conditions or environmental, and personal risk factors. In particular, study findings suggest lower back and lower extremities MSS are associated with the a majority of job-related risk factors, lower extremities with extreme environmental conditions, and neck and upper back with personal risk factors.

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Occupational Safety and Health Concerns in Logging: A Cross-Sectional Assessment in Virginia

Cited by 14 publications

References 39 publications

Health and safety in the Maine woods: Assemblage and baseline characteristics of a longitudinal cohort of logging workers

Health and safety in the Maine woods: Assemblage and baseline characteristics of a longitudinal cohort of logging workers

Human Factors Affecting Logging Injury Incidents in Idaho and the Potential for Real-Time Location-Sharing Technology to Improve Safety

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Loggers in the Ark-La-Tex Region

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