Abstract

The forestry sector has the highest rate of occupational injuries resulting in work absence, and the highest occupational mortality rate. Two pilot projects were undertaken, one analyzing 94 sawmill accidents occurring in 1983, the other analyzing 89 forestry accidents. All the pertinent details of the accidents were gathered during separate interviews with the accident victim and his foreman. The characteristic accident scenarios identified during analysis of this data were furnished to the workers, foremen, and those responsible for occupational health and safety, for use in training courses and in the planning of preventive measures.

The pilot projects were followed by a study of the relationship between safety in forestry operations and the technical and human aspects of work organization. In addition to data on perceived risk, collected during interviews with workers and foremen, accident register information was also analyzed in this phase of the project. The most dangerous workstations and types of felling were identified, and characterized with regard to the factors predisposing to accidents, the most dangerous tasks, and the most important improvements to be made to existing safety practices. The 400 accidents can be described by 8 typical accident scenarios. The methodology used in this study may be applied to other socio-economic sectors.