title: Relating safety, productivity and company type for motor-manual logging operations in the Italian Alps.
abstract: The study compared the performance of four different logging crews with respect to productivity, organization and safety. To this purpose, the authors developed a data collection method capable of providing a quantitative analysis of risk-taking behavior. Four crews were tested under the same working conditions, representative of close-to-nature alpine forestry. Motor-manual working methods were applied, since these methods are still prevalent in the specific study area, despite the growing popularity of mechanical processors. Crews from public companies showed a significantly lower frequency of risk-taking behavior. The best safety performance was offered by the only (public) crew that had been administered formal safety training. The study seems to deny the common prejudice that safety practice is inversely proportional to productivity. Instead, productivity is increased by introducing more efficient working methods and equipment. The quantitative analysis of risk-taking behavior developed in this study can be applied to a number of industrial fields besides forestry. Characterizing risk-taking behavior for a given case may eventually lead to the development of custom-made training programmes, which may address problem areas while avoiding that the message is weakened by the inclusion of redundant information. In the specific case of logging crews in the central Alps, the study suggests that current training courses may be weak on ergonomics, and advocates a staged training programme, focusing first on accident reduction and then expanding to the prevention of chronic illness.
authors: Department of Environmental Science and Technology in Forestry, University of Florence, Via S. Bonaventura 13, I-50145 Firenze, Italy. montorselli@unifi.it
authors: Niccolò Brachetti
authors: NB
authors: Montorselli
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Lombardini
authors: Natascia
authors: N
authors: Magagnotti
authors: Enrico
authors: E
authors: Marchi
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Neri
authors: Gianni
authors: G
authors: Picchi
authors: Raffaele
authors: R
authors: Spinelli
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics; D016468:Forestry / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000191:economics; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012449:Safety / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000191:economics; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*