Research Brief #31

Strategic Partnership Provides Better Insight into Louisiana’s Logging Accidents
Louisiana Forest Products Development Center
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA

Situation/Problem

Logging is one of the most dangerous occupations. To improve the situation,  more knowledge of accidents is needed so that worker safety programs can address the most urgent needs.

Action

LSU AgCenter researchers continue to interact with the “Strategic Partnership” program conducted by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and the Louisiana Logging Council. By having loggers submit all accident reports to this program (not just the ones required by law) the researchers have been able to cause safety programs in Louisiana to be more focused as to topic than ever before.

Preliminary Results

Three key activities in logging operations in Louisiana that continue to give problems are mounting / dismounting equipment, trucking, and performing maintenance and repairs. Of the 232 logging companies participating in the Strategic Partnership Program, accidents occurring during mounting / dismounting of equipment rose from 25% to 42% of equipment operator injuries. About half of these resulted in a sprained knee. The percentage of injuries to truck drivers rose from 22% to 27%. Roughly half of these involve an activity in which the driver is outside of his truck – falling due to slippery ground, straining backs lifting lowboy ramps, binding / unbinding loads, etc. Various types of accidents also occurred while performing maintenance and repairs on equipment, especially when in-woods. Some of these could have been prevented by installing proper steps and handholds to access awkward places on the machine. Seventy-one percent of the 232 logging companies reported having no recordable accidents.

Impact

The information developed under this project continues to be used as an  introduction to the logging safety workshops conducted by the Louisiana Logging Council (141 attendees in 2002). Informal reports were printed in each issue of the quarterly magazine The Louisiana Logger. The Baton Rouge Area Office of the OSHA performed 5 verification inspections of Strategic Partnership members that resulted in no citations with serious violations being issued. The Assistant Secretary Team Impact Award from the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA was presented to the five major participants of the Strategic Partnership Program, representing industry, industry associations, federal government, state government and academia.

Researchers

Cornelis “Niels” F. de Hoop
Associate Professor
Louisiana Forest Products Development Center

Greg D. Honaker
Compliance Safety & Health Officer
OSHA
Baton Rouge, LA

Clovis “Sonny” Mills
OSHA Safety Consultant
Louisiana Department of Labor
Baton Rouge, LA

Clyde M. Todd, Jr.
Executive Director
Louisiana Logging Council
Alexandria, LA

C.A. “Buck” Vandersteen
Executive Director
Louisiana Forestry Association
Alexandria, LA.

Target Group

Loggers, wood dealers, log supply managers, timberland managers, logging insurers, loss prevention specialists.

Methodology

As a condition of participating in the Strategic Partnership Agreement, logging companies sign into the program. One of the tenets of the Agreement is that the logging companies will submit reports of all accidents to the Louisiana Logging Council annually. These accidents are classified into standard database formats and are reviewed by the researchers for commonalities, severity and possible OSHA regulations violated (without assessment of penalties). The Partnership team then determines the OSHA regulations and other items that need to be stressed in logger safety training.

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