New Logging Safety Web Site Added
The National Timber Harvesting and Transportation Safety Foundation (THATS) has launched a new section of its www.loggingsafety.com Web site to help loggers orient new employees to logging safety. The new section includes free, downloadable materials.
Bob Shaffer of Virginia Tech, leader of the team that developed the program, worked with the Forest Resources Association’s Southwide Safety Committee to develop the six-step First-Year Safety Program for New Logging Employees. It enables a logging business owner or foreman to communicate a safety ethic, along with safety information, to each new crew member. A grant from THATS supported the project.
“Nearly one half of all logging injuries occur to workers with less than one year on the job,” said Bob. “We realize that new employees are in a vulnerable position and that logging safety programs need to put a special focus on them.”
The program calls for presenting a first-day safety overview, following up with a series of 20- to 30-minute safety training sessions during the first eight weeks of employment, and conducting structured ‘safety observation audits’ throughout the first year, as well as monthly debriefings — apart from the new crew member’s participation in OSHA-mandated safety meetings.
The on-line resource contains links to downloadable supporting materials an employer or foreman can use to conduct the sessions or reviews recommended, including relevant Forest Resources Association Loss Control Overviews, Safety Alerts, and Technical Releases, as well as Observation Audit Forms for specific logging tasks. Access is free to all.
THATS encourages all forestry and logging organizations to link directly to this important resource at www.loggingsafety.com/first_year_safety/NwE-home.htm or to the LoggingSafety.com home page at www.loggingsafety.com.
