Noise, Worker Perception, and Worker Concentration in Timber Harvesting Activity

<p>Timber harvesting activities are unquestionably related with high risk of work accidents and health disorders.<br />Such activities were not only burdened the workers with heavy physical workloads due to uneasy working<br />environment, and massive work materials and tools, but also physiopsychologically burdened workers as they<br />were imposed with both mechanical and acoustic vibrations (noise) produced by the chainsaw. However, it is a<br />common practice that most of the workers still ignored the importance of the use of noise reduction devices such<br />as earmuff or ear plug. This study was aimed to reveal the factual effects of noise on work concentration of the<br />workers to provide a scientific basis in supporting efforts in improving workers’ attitude. The results confirmed<br />that chainsaw might produce noise during operation. Noise intensities received by both right and left ears were<br />not significantly different, indicating that left-handed and normal workers received similar degree of noise in<br />both side of ears. Further, results also showed that there was a significant difference on the perception and work<br />concentration of chainsaw operators versus sedentary people to the noise. These findings proved that hearing<br />ability of chainsaw operators had declined due to frequent noise exposure.</p><p>Keywords: timber harvesting, physio-psychological disorder, noise, chainsaw