Forestry work is generally characterized by a combination of difficult conditions. The terrain is often steep and broken, the climate may be harsh, the work itself is physically demanding and the tools of the trade are sharp, heavy and dangerous if not used and maintained properly. Since work sites are usually remote and isolated, facilities - for example, housing, food and drink and first aid - are often inadequate or even non-existent. Moreover, forestry work tends to have a low status and be poorly paid.
The combined effect is that, in all countries where comparative statistics are available, forestry has a higher accident frequency rate than most other industrial sectors. Even compared with agricultural workers, a forest worker is three to four times more likely to suffer a work-related accident. Beyond the immediate impact of accidents, forestry is fraught with long-term health risks disorders induced by noise and vibration are two of the most prominent examples.
In the developing countries, the frequency and severity of logging accidents may be as much as ten times higher than in the industrialized countries. This results partially from a lack of attention and resources devoted to the sector and partially from the fact that tools, machinery and protective equipment - almost always designed in, and for workers of, industrialized countries - are often inappropriate for both the prevailing conditions and the workers themselves.
Closely linked to the unsatisfactory conditions are poor productivity and unsustainability. If forest workers are exposed to excessive physical and mental stress; inadequately protected against unfavourable conditions; without access to decent food, housing and health services; and underpaid; it is unreasonable to expect the workforce to be stable and productive in a manner that is efficient and conducive to the sustainable management of the resource base. Notwithstanding forestry's sad occupational health record and the obvious negative consequences for the sector's productivity, the issues of forest worker health and ergonomics are not high on the list of priorities in most countries, whether they be industrialized or developing.
This issue of Unasylva takes a close look at forest worker safety and ergonomics and considers what could be done, and by whom, to improve the situation. One key issue that emerges in several articles is the inadequate documentation on forestry related accidents and occupational diseases. These data are needed, not to determine blame, but rather to pinpoint dangers and identify solutions. Another aspect that is conspicuous by its absence is a detailed cost-benefit analysis of safer, more efficient practices. Accurate information on the cost implications, magnitude and timing of productivity increases, for instance, is an essential prerequisite for enlightened decision-making by forest managers at the local and national levels, whether in the public or private sector.
In the lead article, P. Poschen, Forestry and Wood Industries Specialist of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), examines international trends in occupational safety and health in forestry. He draws heavily on a report, published in 1991 by the ILO Forestry and Wood Industries Committee, which analyses information gathered in international meetings and in technical assistance projects over the past decade. D. Staal Wästerlund and F. Kufakwandi detail actions taken under the aegis of one such ILO supported project to improve worker safety and productivity at the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation.
J.E. Gaskin and R.J. Parker of the New Zealand Logging Industry Research Organisation describe an accident reporting scheme used to guide the efforts of researchers, trainers and manufacturers to reduce accident frequency and severity. An important use of the scheme is to measure the accuracy of loggers' perception of the risks involved in logging operations.
The living conditions of forest workers are directly related to the productivity and stability of the workforce, a point made clearly in B. Strehlke's article on occupational safety in forest management in Indonesia as well as in the examination of ergonomics in Chilean forestry by E. Apud and S. Valdés.
Finally, L.A. Smith and R.E. Thomas, Jr discuss research on ergonomics in forest harvesting in the southeastern United States. Parallels between environmental conditions in the southern United States and areas of the humid tropics make many of the results of significant interest on a wider scale.
Future issues of Unasylva will feature additional articles on this important theme; planned topics include the examination of a highly advanced forest worker safety programme in Finland and extension programmes for ergonomics improvement.
