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Technical Release
CAUSES OF LOGGING-RELATED FATALITIES 1992-1999 Surveys/studies: safety |
Feb. 2002 |
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INTRODUCTION: The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) each year, tracking work-related fatalities in all 50 states. The Forest Resources Association was granted permission to access the CFOI database for the years 1992-1999 to analyze the major causes of logging-related fatalities.
GENERAL FEATURES: The CFOI database includes information on each victim's age, race and gender; nature of the injury (that is, part of body affected, source of injury, and event); employee status (that is, occupation, work activity, and duration of employment); and the date, time, and location of the incident that resulted in the fatal injury, as well as a description of the injury. In order to protect the victim's identity, the database does not identify fatal injuries by state-a proviso that prevents a geographical analysis of fatality trends that might assist in prioritizing state or regional safety initiatives. FRA sorted the CFOI database on the basis of two Occupation codes, 494 (logging supervisors) and 496 (timber cutting and logging workers), to identify loggers suffering fatal occupational injuries from 1992 to 1999. The number of reported fatalities for loggers dropped from a high of 146 in 1992 to a low of 107 in 1998, then increased slightly to 112 in 1999. The average number of fatalities per year during this eight-year period was 124. ANALYSIS: Of the 991 total logging-related fatalities included in the CFOI database, 67% resulted from contact with falling objects, such as trees, limbs, tops and logs. These incidents include:
A closer examination of logging fatalities for 1998-1999 reveals that 78.1% of deaths caused by contact with falling objects occurred while felling trees. Contact with equipment such as skidders, feller-bunchers, and log loaders resulted in 14% of all reported fatal logging injuries. The top three causes of death in this category are: being struck by or run over by equipment, equipment rollovers, and being injured while performing maintenance or repair tasks. During 1998-1999, 28 out of 37 equipment-related deaths occurred when logging equipment ran over woods workers (15 incidents) or equipment rolled over operators (13 incidents). Log truck and vehicle accidents caused 4% of all reported fatalities of logging supervisors and workers. This figure does not include fatalities to full-time truck drivers (Occupation code 804) that transport raw wood products. Chain Saw related fatalities comprised only 2% of all logging-related deaths during the eight-year period. (Of these fatalities, most are associated with the logger's falling onto a running chain saw after being struck by a falling tree, limb, or top.) Other causes of fatal injuries account for 13% of the total reported deaths of loggers. These miscellaneous causes of fatal injuries include: electrocution, falls, suicide/shootings, and death from unknown causes. The "Other" category includes six electrocutions and eight shootings or suicides out of 30 fatalities reported for the 1998-1999 period. Time of day was recorded in 621 out of 991 logging fatalities for 1992-1999. The highest number of logging deaths occurred during the 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM time period, with a second spike (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM) in fatalities following lunch. A recent study in New Zealand by that country's Logging Industry Research Organization (LIRO) also revealed a peak in logger fatalities during the late morning hours. Further research discovered that many loggers skip breakfast and drink large amounts of coffee (caffeine is a diuretic) that causes them to become dehydrated and run low on food "energy" before stopping for lunch, increasing their risk of a work-related injury. Proper hydration and nutrition can help prevent logging accidents (see Technical Release 98-R-35 Increased Safety and Performance Through "Smart Food"). COMMENT: Analysis of the BLS's Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries database was made possible by a grant from the National Timber Harvesting and Transportation Safety Foundation. Special thanks to Luther Gibson, for accessing and compiling the logging-related fatality data for analysis, on behalf of the Forest Resources Association.
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Forest Resources Association Inc. |