ABSTRACT
The forest industry and in particular harvesting (logging) is associated with high rates of injury and fatalities. There have been many efforts to address the risks associated with logging, for example through increasing mechanisation, design and use of personal protective equipment and improved hazard identification. However, in New Zealand the difficult terrain precludes mechanised harvesting in many areas, leaving motor-manual techniques (a worker with a chainsaw) as the only means of harvesting plantation trees in these areas. The difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions place heavy physical and physiological demands on workers.
