Occupational injury prevention among loggers in the Intermountain region of the United States

2018 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Despite advances in harvesting techniques, commercial logging continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States (US). In 2015, logging workers had the highest rate of fatal work injuries of all US industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). In 2016, the nationwide fatality rate for the logging industry was 100.1 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (FTE), almost 30 times higher than the nationwide fatality rate for all occupations combined (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Logging in the Intermountain (Montana and Idaho, USA) region is especially dangerous due to steep terrain, weather conditions, and remote work locations. To date, there are very few studies which provide an analysis of logging safety and none which focus on the specific challenges and risks present in the Intermountain region. The specific aims and objectives of this proposal are consistent with the recommended strategic goals outlined in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). Strategic goals six and seven in the NORA are to reduce the number, rate and severity of traumatic injuries and deaths involving hazards of forestry and to improve the health and well-being of forestry workers by reducing occupational causes or contributing factors to acute and chronic illness and disease (NORA Agricultural Forestry and Fishing Sector Council, 2008). The Systematic Approach to Training provided the overall model for this project. Several other models and methodology were also used to create an intervention program focused on logging workers operating in the Intermountain region of the United States. The intervention program consisted of an emergency first-aid training program that provided didactic instruction, relevant examples, and practical skills to respond to emergencies, which commonly occur in the logging industry. The justification of the need for an emergency first-aid training program in the logging industry was primarily based mixed methods analysis of five-years of workers' compensation data and focus groups with 63 professional loggers (Study 1). We then investigated the demographics and self-reported work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among a cohort of 743 loggers in Montana (Study 2). We also conducted a study to quantify safety climate and identify the determinants of safety climate (Study 3). A Systematic Approach to Training was then used to develop, implement, and evaluate an emergency first-aid training program that specifically addresses the challenges and hazards of the logging industry (Study 4). Approximately 7-months following the emergency first-aid training a qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the longer-term effects of the training program and identify curriculum improvements (Study 5)