Możliwości ręcznego przemieszczania surowca krótkiego podczas pozyskania sosny, świerka, brzozy i buka w cięciach pielęgnacyjnych

The aim of this study was to measure the weight of timber obtained from freshly cut trees and compare it with the applicable legal provisions pertaining the capability of transporting heavy loads by hand and also to indicate a problem significant for the occupational safety and health protection of employees working at wood harvesting. In Poland, about 40 million m3 of timber is harvested annually. The logs, with small diameter and length, are prepared for forwarding by arranging them by employees in the so called ‘packages’, which are placed by the route of the machine that collects and transports them to the logging road. Manhandling of the logs is an activity requiring the greatest energy expenditure (over 30 kJ/min) in the process of tree harvesting. Furthermore, it is also one of the key factors, which may lead to the development of musculoskeletal disorders. Regulations existing in the Polish labour law regulate the permitted weight of transported loads depending on the activity duration. For loads transported single−handedly this is 30 kg for a permanent employer, whereas 50 kg for workers doing the job occasionally or temporarily (no more than 4 times per hour and no longer than 4 hours during workday). Logs heavier than 50 kg may be carried only collectively providing the requirements of the minimal length (0,75 m) of the log per one person are met. We produced 2,5 m long logs and weighted them with an accuracy of 0,1 kg. The analysis revealed that approximately 30% of logs weighed between 30 and 50 kg, which introduces limitations in the number of carried logs per one person within a single shift. However, about 10% of the pine, 15% of spruce, 12% of beech and 38% of birch logs were heavier than 50 kg which should prevent carrying them single−handedly. Unfortunately, collective preparation of timber for forwarding is not popular among workers due to reduction in output, and at the same time the lower salary. Even if log for forwarding is prepared by two labourers, they most often work separately. As a result, the limits of the weight carried single− handedly by labourer are notoriously violated and exceeded.