Forestry – Integrating Safety in a Time of Rapid Change

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harrington, Marcy J.
• Description:
  Forestry work is commonly recognized as dangerous, and stories of this hazardous work are embedded in our western culture. And yet, this is not folklore from our wild west past, but a real issue of our time that has not been addressed. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics demonstrates that logging has the highest occupational fatality rate and one of the highest rates of days away from work. In 2019 Oregon State had seven logging fatalities. The impact of these fatalities on rural communities is profound. A 2019 survey of 500 loggers in the Northwest found that 93% had experienced the loss of someone they knew from a logging incident. Forestry contractors are often small employers or independent contractors who may be operating with limited financial resources. In the last two decades, more timberland is being managed as investment trusts. Meanwhile, those working in the logging industry struggle to maintain their workforce that heavily relies on immigrant labor. This fissured organizational system complicates addressing worker safety needs and may inadvertently exacerbate hazardous conditions. Enumeration of the forestry workforce is challenging due to the high number of independent contractors and farm foresters, undocumented immigrant workers, and crossover with other occupations. Occupational health and forest management professionals need to be prepared to address an upswing in forest products and land management. These trends are driven by the threat of wildfire and expanded demand for US timber. In the past, public health organizations and the forestry industry have fallen short in addressing the safety of this workforce, but there are new efforts underway. New investments in U.S. forestry safety have been made in recent years, including increased funding priorities and research grants by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). A session at the Western Agricultural Safety and Health Conference: Cultivating Collaborations entitled "Forestry - Integrating Safety in a Time of Rapid Change" presented an opportunity to review these newly funded studies and look ahead to this industry's dynamic future and the sustainability of the logging community. A review of presentations from the "Forestry - Integrating Safety in a Time of Rapid Change" session follows. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emigration And Immigration Forestry Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Fatalities Forestry Workers Immigrant Workers Logging Safety Logging Workers Occupational Safety
• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• Volume:
  26
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066994
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2021 Jan; 26(1):88-91
• Contact Point Address:
  Marcy J. Harrington, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health (PNASH) Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
• Email:
  marcyw@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:920ff9f1404f6c093511546d7337072e5cfe1d73ea49dd9e65ae6b3ed5d91ba6b4aaabb6f9db7b8e1297c810943dd0e89d25ab4910c6420371670266712b2f5b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230619/cdc_230619_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 580.32 KB ]