Alicia Piedrabuena Cuesta1 , Clara Solves Camallonga1, Purificación Castelló Mercé1, Ana Mª García Hervás2, Manuel Riera Díaz2, Laura Benítez Mateo3
1Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (IBV)
2Federación de Industria y Trabajadores Agrarios de la Unión General de Trabajadores (FITAG)
3Federación de Agroalimentaria de Comisiones Obreras (FEAGRA)
During 2013, FEAGRA-CCOO and FITAG-UGT, supportedby organizations specializing in ergonomics and occupational health, have developed a project to improve ergonomic conditions in the forestry sector.
As a result of this project, a website has been launched with information on ergonomic risks for specific tasks, as well as Guides with ergonomic criteria for selecting and evaluating PPE.
INTRODUCTION
In Spain, ergonomic problems are the main cause of work-related accidents and diseases. In the forestry sector, while carrying out the tasks involved in preventing and extinguishing forest fires, clothing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and working conditions play a decisive role in determining the ergonomic risk factors (postures, repetitive movements, manual material handling, vibrations, etc.) to which the sector’s workers are exposed.
Certain accident statistics, such as those compiled within the framework of the INFOCA plan from Andalusia, show that the most frequent and important cause of injury in forestry activities is overexertion (responsible for between 30% and 50% of sick leave in the sector), well ahead of other factors such as flying fragments and particles, falls or collisions.
To deal with this problem, during 2013 the trade union federations FEAGRA-CCOO and FITAG-UGT, with the support of organizations specializing in ergonomics, developed the project “Guide for improving ergonomic conditions, selecting and using clothing and PPE in preventing and extinguishing forest fires”, within the framework of the grants provided by the Fundación para la Prevención de Riesgos Laborales . Actions IS-0234/2012 and IS 0328/2012.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of this projectwas to develop preventive tools that help in the selection of PPE and clothing that are adapted to users’ needs, as well as to identify the main ergonomic problems and create recommendations for improving and reducing them.
To achieve this objective and obtain important information to analyze and resolve the specific ergonomic problems that exist in the sector, a number of specific objectives were established:
-·To characterize the sector’s jobs in terms of work demands that require the use of clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE).
-·To identify the most representative and problematic jobs/tasks in the sector and identify the ergonomic needs related to these activities and the use of clothing and personal protective equipment.
-·To provide technical assistance for the selection and use of clothing and personal protective equipment as a health and safety measure for workers and technicians, from the perspective of ergonomics, comfort and safety.
-·To prepare effective dissemination materials to promote a strong health and safety culture among workers.
-·To encourage the participation of workers in health and safety activities thanks to proper communication of the actions that can be performed by them.
DEVELOPMENT AND METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve the objectives set for the project a work plan has been followed, which is structured in phases (Table 1):
Table 1. Main phases of the project.
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1.-Characterization of the sector |
In this phase, a bibliographic review was carried out and discussion groups were held with workers from the sector. The most critical tasks and the most problematic PPE were selected, and the study focused on these. |
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2.-Ergonomic analysis of tasks, PPE and clothing |
Field studies were conducted using various forestry squads to gather information directly from the sector’s professionals and identify the current problems and areas for improvement. |
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3.-Creating the materials |
The processing and analysis of the information obtained in the previous phase made it possible to create various contents and implement them as part of an online platform that is currently available to all professionals in the forestry sector. |
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4.- Assessment |
An expert group from the sector assessed the technical contents of the website and their presentation. |
The information contained in the online platform is structured in five main sections:
♦ Why This Project? This section sets out the objectives and methodology followed during development of the project.
♦ The Forestry Sector. This is an introductory section with information about the sector’s structure, professional categories, main activities, etc. This section also contains a sub-section dedicated to ergonomics in the forestry sector, with information about the main ergonomic risks in the sector and the most problematic activities.
♦ Ergonomic Risks and Best Practices. This section includes specific information about the ergonomic risks of some specific activities (use of chainsaw, brushcutter and pulaski).
♦ PPE and Clothing. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing are widely used in the forestry sector to protect workers from many of the risks deriving from the activity they perform. This section includes information on the selection of footwear, helmets, trousers, overalls and gloves for the tasks involved in the prevention and extinction of forest fires, taking into account ergonomic and comfort criteria. Much of the information contained in this section comes from the contributions that the workers themselves have made in the field study carried out within the framework of the project.
An individual guide has been developed for each piece of equipment, making it easier to access the information in a clearer way. The guides are structured in blocks or sections offering tips on correctly choosing PPE and clothing.
♦ There is also access to a series of checklists that make it quick and easy to check the ergonomics of the PPE and clothing used.
Figure 1. Guides for PPE and Clothing selection.
♦·More information: compilation of legislation, technical criteria, Internet references, etc. containing interesting information about the sector.
RESULTS
The project’s final result is a freely accessible ONLINE GUIDE, which can be found at the following link: http://forestales.ibv.org.
Figure 2. Website with content http://forestales.ibv.org.
This website provides an Interactive Guide which helps people understand the main ergonomic risks, their causes and the health and safety measures associated with the main activities in the forestry sector, as well as criteria for the ergonomic selection of the main personal protective equipment(PPE) used. In addition, for each PPE there is also a checklist that helps to determine the ergonomics of the PPE/clothing used in daily activities.
CONCLUSIONS
This websiteis designed to be a health and safety tool aimed at employers, workers, health and safety professionals and trainers, which helps with the implementation of health and safety measures in companies in the sector that are involved in the prevention and extinction of forest fires.
Its development is an ideal vehicle for disseminating information about solutions regarding the prevention of ergonomic risks in the forestry sector, as well as a support tool for the evaluation and selection of the right PPE and clothing in the sector. The recommendations provided there may help companies in the sector to resolve similar problems.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the employees, representatives, technicians and managers of the companies, as the project would not have been possible without their participation.
roject financed by the Fundación para la Prevención de Riesgos Laborales in the framework
of the Call for resource allocation for the 2012 financial year (IS-0234/2012 and IS 0328/2012).
