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In this issue:
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| The Secretariat of the Norwegian Organization 'Women in Forestry' Jenter i Skogbruket FMLA - Aust-Agder Fylkeshuset, N-4800 Arendal, Norway e-mail: jannicke-modell.rohmen@frn-aasri.telemax.no tel: +47 37 01 75n17 fax: +47 37 01 75 15 |
Gisa Klönne is a German freelance journalist. Her main topics are women's politics and ecology.
by Gun Lidestav and Dianne Staal Wästerlund
Although Sweden is regarded as one of the countries with the highest degree of gender equality in the world, the forestry professions are still very much dominated by men. The number of female forestry professionals is still limited, with often only one woman in a given unit. Negative attitudes of colleagues/superiors have been reported, especially in practical forestry work. We therefore considered it necessary to study the working conditions of female forestry professionals and to monitor their professional development in comparison with those of their male colleagues.
Some 700 questionnaires were sent out, of which 564 were returned. The study covered all female foresters, forest engineers, forest technicians and 25% of women in vocational training programmes educated in Sweden since 1972. Each woman was matched with a man from the same course (education programme as well as place) born in the same year. Thus 17% of male foresters, 4% of male forest engineers and forest technicians and a mere 1-2% of male vocational trainees received the questionnaire. On average those who completed the questionnaire finished their education 8-12 years ago.
Labour market: The number of female foresters, engineers and technicians who were either seeking work, studying or had left the forestry sector had increased markedly since 1994 (from 19% to 27%). But among men with the same education, the percentage not employed in the sector was also substantial (25%). The largest difference in employment between women and men was found among the technicians where 12% of women were seeking work compared with 4% of men. Among the vocational trainees 50% of men and 71% of women had left the sector, many of them without ever having worked in forestry. Except for the vocational trainees, the majority of forestry professionals found work directly after finishing their education, but women were more often employed on a time-limited basis than men.
Career prospects:Male professionals reported a broader range of tasks than female professionals; they had also risen more frequently to managerial positions. This contrasts with the early stages of their careers, when women had broader tasks than men and were also better represented in management. This indicates that the professional development of female professionals is lagging behind. Only a few professionals indicated that they worked part time. On the other hand, 65% of the male foresters, 44% of the female foresters as well as 50% of the male forest technicians reported average working hours per week of 45 or more.
Job satisfaction: Women and men characterized their work in a similar way, but women were more critical. The professionals found their work responsible, varied and meaningful, yet the work pace was not regarded as steady or regular, and career possibilities as well as salary levels were considered poor. Many of the foresters as well as female technicians felt that their competence was not fully utilized. A number of professionals felt that they had very little or no influence on decisions made in their workplace (20%) or on how work assignments were distributed (18%).This feeling was especially strong among women. Some 60% of women and 38% of men were considering a change of job; 25% thought that their forestry education had not been a suitable choice. A majority reported that they were satisfied with their work, especially with their assignments and colleagues, yet 25% of all professionals and 33% of female professionals were dissatisfied with the management of their organization. 33% of the women and 13% of the men reported occasional incidences of sexual harassment and 40% of women compared with 2% of men had experienced negative special treatment because of their sex, especially with regard to wage levels, job appointments and professional recognition.
These results give reason for concern for the sector's future. We believe that the successive reorganizations that have followed fast upon each other over the past decades, as well as the sector's rather traditional attitude towards working conditions, are the major causes of discontent. Female professionals seem to be affected to a greater extent, which is in compliance with study results from other sectors. In light of the sector's recruitment problems, we consider it urgent that the sector and researchers join forces to deal with this issue.
For more information, contact:
| Gun Lidestav ( Gun.Lidestav@ssko.slu.se ) & Dianne Wästerlund ( Dianne.Wasterlund@ssko.slu.se ) Division of Forest Technology Department of Silviculture Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden |
While women and men face many of the same problems in the workplace, information from women around the world suggests that they face special problems in the forestry sector that are different from those encountered by men.
Although women are important in the forest industry around the world, their work is often overlooked. Few figures exist on how many women work in forestry, what they do and what their working conditions are like. Because of this it is often difficult to identify what has to be done to improve the situation of women.
In 1992-93 the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers conducted a study on women workers. This study pointed specifically to the lack of information concerning women workers in forestry and the need to target this sector for further work. This idea was picked up in late 1998 when the IFBWW Global Forestry Programme and the IFBWW Women's Programme jointly conducted a pilot questionnaire survey for women in the forest sector in Brazil, Ghana and Zimbabwe. The aim of the questionnaire was to provide preliminary information on issues affecting women and to use this as the basis for further work.
A total of 41 women from 14 enterprises participated in the survey. In addition, eight men also answered the questionnaire in Brazil. For the purposes of this survey forestry included both forest mill operations as well as field forestry operations.
The women who participated in the survey worked in forest nursery operations, sawmills, veneer mills, inspection bureaux, timber mills, furniture factories, and government forestry departments. Jobs included nursery attendant (weeding, planting, applying fertilizer), packing seedlings, pruning, clerical work, secretary, computer operator, machine operator, typist, receptionist, finishing products, wood classifiers, and wood processing.
The team conducting the surveys found that it can be difficult to get accurate information on
women's working conditions. They found that while conditions and issues varied between
countries, and between companies in the same country, there were some general themes:
women face additional problems to men at work, they are generally not happy about their
salaries, employers do not always respect the basic rights of women, women often lack basic
education and this decreases their available job options, men and women may perceive their
work and their workplace differently, there is high job mobility between forest jobs and jobs
in other sectors and women tend to do two jobs, not one (one in the home).
For further information, including copies of the study, please contact:
| Dr. Jill Bowling Coordinator Global Forestry Programme IFBWW P.O. Box 1412 54 route des Acacias CH-1227 Carouge GE e-mail: jill@ifbww.org |
Ms. Vera Hoffmann of the University of Freiburg, Germany, carried out a study on the above subject in 1998. Emphasis was placed on the differences between the former West and East Germany and between part-time and full-time employment.
The study used a standardized questionnaire complemented by an examination of time records on work performed. In addition to the female forest workers, male workers and forest engineers were included as a reference group. A total of 1,295 people were interviewed and the analysis of the various tasks was based on the time records of 231 female and male forest workers for the year 1995.
The difference in age structure for the women between the former West and East German States as well as for female and male forest workers proved to be substantial. Female forest workers in former West Germany are on average more than 9 years older than their colleagues in former East Germany.
Of the male forest workers interviewed, 96.4% had been trained in forest work whereas the corresponding figure for the female forest workers was 41.6%. Furthermore, two-thirds of the female forest workers in former West Germany worked part time. In former East Germany, the majority of the female forest workers were employed on a full-time basis.
Most female forest workers were active in silvicultural and forest protection-related tasks. Manual work in harvesting with chainsaws was rare among female forest workers. More than 50% of the women interviewed, who had not previously worked with chainsaws in harvesting, would not choose to work in that area in the future.
The accident rate among women was considerably lower than among male forest workers. Almost 65% of the women interviewed had avoided accidents compared with 25.9% of the men. The number of health complaints was evenly distributed between the two groups. The most common problems were back pain and pain in the joints, arms and shoulders.
On the whole, the female forest workers were more satisfied with their jobs than their male counterparts. The women were especially satisfied with the tasks they performed; the greatest dissatisfaction related to career possibilities and safety on the work site.
For further information, please contact:
| Dr. Vera Hoffman or Professor S. Lewark Ins. für Forstbenutzung und Arbeitswissenschaft Universität Freiburg Werderring 6 DE-79085 Freiburg fax: +49 761 203 4215 e-mail: lewark@ruf.uni-freiburg.de |
According to the Waldbericht 1997 (national forestry report), 14% of the workforce in Austrian forestry are women. Unlike
their male colleagues, this group had never before been studied from an ergonomical point of view. The Ministry of
Forestry and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs therefore asked for a study analysing female work in
forestry in order to discover where improvements could be made.
First of all a rough evaluation was carried out using the Ergonomic Job Analysis Procedure (Arbeitswissenschaftliches
Erhebungsverfahren zur Tätigkeitsanalyse, abbreviated in German to AET), which is in the form of an observation
complemented by interviews. It was found that 'static work', 'climate', 'other environmental factors', 'risks' and 'doing
simple manual work' could all cause medium levels of strain.
The greatest strain occurred as a result of 'heavy dynamic muscular work', which
covers heavy physical work, but especially work involving stooping. To evaluate the
strain caused by working in an awkward position, the OWAS Method was
employed. This method was developed by the Finnish industry to analyse and
evaluate body posture, and it enables posture not only to be described but also to be
classified using the load index L (100-400%, 400% being the highest).
If only working time was considered, the highest load levels recorded were about 197%. Since these are situated in the first third of the scale, measures for improvement were not urgently recommended. Despite the relatively low load levels reached by female forest workers, they were required to work bending over for 42% of the time, which means a 50 to 60% higher energy expenditure in comparison to a resting position.
This high physical load is reflected in a subjective assessment by the female forest workers themselves as well as in their state of health with a high incidence of back problems.
Among the ailments caused mainly by unbalanced physical work are tenosynovitis, meniscus damage and bursitis.
For further information, please contact:
| Christiane Berger Institut für Forsttechnik Peter-Jordanstrasse 70/2 1190 Wien fax: +43 47654 4342 e-mail: chberger@edv1.boku.ac.at |
Strain-related problems among machine operators in Sweden have declined since the beginning of the 1990s. The risk of strain injuries to the neck and shoulders remains none the less very high. Even though job rotation has been introduced on a larger scale, there are still many machine operators with too little variation in their daily work. Many are stressed and perceive their working environment as poor.
These findings are the conclusions of the Swedish forest research institute 'SkogForsk' and the Swedish Inspectorate of Labour from a follow-up to a vast research project on working conditions, the so-called 'OCH-project'.
Forestry is developing in the right direction, but work on the reduction of strain injuries has to continue, according to Mr. Weine Andersson at the Inspectorate of Labour in Umeå, Sweden. Indeed, the problems have diminished, but from a very high level and the follow-up has shown that at least 25% of the machine operators still suffer from pain.
One way of preventing strain and boredom is to give machine operators a broader variety of tasks, e.g. planning in the field, which reduces the amount of monotonous machine work. The follow-up shows that many machine operators find it stimulating to have more responsibilities, which results in job enrichment.
To our regret, we now are getting signals of a reverse trend, says Weine Andersson. Machine operator teams that used to take care of most of the tasks, from planning to harvesting and contacts with customers, now seem to have taken a step backwards to more limited and monotonous tasks.
Source: Results (in Swedish) No. 10-1999 from SkogForsk. The report can be ordered from www.skogforsk.se .
A related paper (in English) to this item was also presented at a Seminar in Pessac, France in September 1999. This paper can be obtained from:
| Dr. Sten Gellerstedt, Associate Professor Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences tel: +46(0)18 673818 fax: +46(0)18 673800 e-mail: Sten.Gellerstedt@sh.slu.se |
For further information, please contact:
| Weine Andersson Inspectorate of Labour, Umeå tel: +46 90-170721 Sverker Johansson Press Officer, Skogforsk tel: +46 18 188576 e-mail: Sverker.Johansson@skogforsk.se |
Between 1989 and 1992 work-related deaths as a result of incidents involving the forestry and logging industry in Australia were studied as part of a larger study of all work-related traumatic deaths.
Forty-four people employed in the forestry and logging industry died in work-related incidents in Australia during that period. This was a rate of 97 deaths per 100,000 workers, which is 17 times higher than the all-industry rate of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. However, the rate was lower compared with the same industry group between 1982 and 1984, when there were 119 deaths per 100,000 workers.
As can be seen, the most common fatal incidents involved workers
being hit by falling objects, such as trees and tree branches, which
account for 64% of the total number of accidents. This figure is
confirmed by the activities being performed at the time of the
incident where felling or clearing trees was the most hazardous
operation (73%).
Of all fatal incidents 59% occurred in bush, remote or undeveloped areas and the occupation of workers suffering fatal injuries was dominated by tree fellers (59%).
For further information regarding work-related deaths, see: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission:Work-related traumatic fatalities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Ausinfo (Canberra), 1998.
Further information from this study regarding work-related fatalities associated with timber activities in Australia is also available. See: Work-related fatalities study team. Work-related traumatic fatalities involving timber activities in Australia, 1989 to 1992. Epidemiology Unit, National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, May 1999.
Information is also available via the NOHSC web site: http://www.worksafe.gov.au .
Or you can contact the members of the study team:
| NOHSC GPO Box 58 Sydney, NSW 2001 fax +61 02 9577 9300 or +61 02 0577 9202 e-mail Tim Driscoll: driscolt@worksafe.gov.au |
Holz-Zentralblatt(a German forestry weekly) reports that the state forest service of Lower Saxony introduced monthly wages for forest workers in 1998, the first to do so in Germany. The result was a modest decline in productivity (2%) accompanied by a much greater reduction in the rate of accidents (16%).
Parallel to a strong increase in mechanization (expected to reach 50% of harvesting in the year 2000), a change in work organization led to greater delegation of decision making to semi-autonomous groups of operators. Another substantial reform in Lower Saxony was the elimination of the middle-management level between head office and the districts.
Some years ago news like this would have refuelled the old discussion about the influence of the wage form on accident rates. Today, it is widely acknowledged that accidents have multiple causes of which the wage form may be one.
By the same token, the search for new wage forms in forestry is spurred by a variety of considerations such as more productive work organization in teams, mechanization, status of the profession and entry requirements.
SeeHolz-Zentralblatt, No. 91, 1999.
For further information, please contact:
| Waldarbeiterschule Münchehof Saulstr. 5 DE-38723 Seesen, Germany fax: +49 (0)5381 9850 40 |
Bringing science-based, technical information to people interested in forestry and the natural environment is a challenge to extension workers and researchers throughout the world. As the availability of the Internet increases, exciting new opportunities for distance-learning are developing rapidly.
A group of nine cooperating forestry, training, and telecommunications organizations in Canada have created an innovative Web-based educational program for wood lot owners and others interested in forestry. The training program consists of a series of modules, including:
Each module is supported by animated images, videos, and narration, with minimal text. The training modules are user-friendly, self-paced, and available in both French and English.
For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.nticforet.qc.ca or contact:
| Pierre LePage Centre de formation et d'extension en foresterie Province de Quebec Canada tel: +1 418 756 6115 fax: +1 418 756 3113 e-mail: cfor@globetrotter.qc.ca |
RIL is an e-mail list server managed by Tan and Associates for the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) and supported by a USDA Forest Service grant. The main objective of RILNET is to distribute information, synopses of research results and activities on reduced impact logging (RIL). As an electronic mailing list the network will disseminate relevant information and serve as a node for discussing "hot" topics. The electronic list is complemented by a "traditional" mailing list to serve those not yet linked to the Internet.
The list forms part of the APFC's efforts to raise awareness of the Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting in Asia-Pacific, in general, and of reduced impact logging in particular. It forms one of the APFC activities on sustainable forest management. During a RIL study tour in March this year to Sabah (Malaysia) participants, pointing to poor information flow and sharing, requested an improved communication and networking mechanism. RILNET responds to this request.
Most of us are very busy. Thus this list will only mail out brief messages (usually one page) and indicate where and how additional information on a particular topic can be obtained. On average, one message a month should reach you.
As RILNET is all about sharing information and experiences it can only operate successfully if information is made available to the network operator. The topics that RIL hopes to cover include amongst others:
Please send any material that you would like to make available to a wider audience to:
RILNET
16 Jalan Tan Jit Seng
11200 Penang
Malaysia
RILNET will be operated on a trial basis for one year. If you find it useful its life will be extended.
Finally, RILNET's address list is still brief. Please distribute this message to your colleagues. Anyone wanting to subscribe to the list or terminate their subscription should contact:
| Thomas Enters and Lay Cheng Tan 16 Jalan Tan Jit Seng 11200 Penang Malaysia tel/fax: +60 4 8999261 e-mail: lctesea@pc.jaring.my |
by Dr. John J. Garland
This Fall some 200 loggers from around the United States met in Virginia for the Fifth Annual American Loggers Council (ALC) convention to discuss issues for the logging profession. The ALC is the national organization representing nineteen state and regional logging associations, councils, or organizations for the contract loggers in the US. Sometimes loggers have their own state organization, others are organized in regional associations, and sometimes loggers and foresters are combined in an association.
The ALC was formed in 1994 partly as a response to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative of the American Forest and Paper Association. The SFIsmcalled for logger education and training as a means to achieve sustainable forestry and recognized that loggers play a crucial role in wood supply and environmental performance. The goals of the ALC are as follows:
The ALC also has a Logger's Code of Practice like many professional forestry organizations. The code has many diverse points prescribing behaviours for professional logging contractors in such areas as: ethical conduct, meeting environmental standards and laws/regulations, educating and working with landowners to achieve sustainable forestry, participating in sustainable forestry training and education, operating safely and within laws, acting responsibly in the business community and with employees, and actively promoting a positive image for the logging profession.
The ALC is actively working with other organizations to become the voice of America's loggers. Their web site located at www.americanloggers.org is one means of communicating with the public and with members. Several web site features such as encouraging browsers to 'ask a logger' are worth examining. The ALC is working to support a full-time director and has a strategic planning committee to help define goals and priorities for future action. At the annual meeting, resolutions in support or opposition of several important proposed federal laws were passed to give members information to contact congressional members with loggers' interests.
Another important effort was passage by the American Loggers Council of standards defining a logging professional that included a training curriculum guide to help those providing education for loggers and the loggers themselves. The guide acknowledges the differences between logging regions and the various state regulatory environments. It is generally described below with the author's additions in italics.
Each ALC state/regional logging association shall define what a qualified logging professional is according to the training they designate and within the forest practices laws or BMPs (Best Management Practices) to which they must adhere.
The ALC Education Committee believes the following subject matter should be considered as minimum requirements for a core curriculum by those committees for their logger training programmes.
While the ALC highly recommends the inclusion of these subjects the states have the authority to choose their subject matter as well as hours of training time.
ALC believes the qualified logging professional training should be mandatory for the owner or his designated representative, and for supervisory personnel on the ground, with the goal of having a trained person on the job at all times.
A qualified logging professional will be deemed as someone who has completed the state's training curriculum, receiving written notice thereof, and through public recognition by a listing of the graduates.
Because it is important that there be public acceptance of logger training, it is imperative that individual states maintain the highest standards and credibility in building their training programmes, including meaningful training times and continuing education (ALC Education Standards Draft approved 9 September 1999).
The development of the American Loggers Council as a national organization in the United States is quite recent and was prompted by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. A number of state and regional organizations are 30 to 40 years old while others are much newer. Logging contractor associations are quite necessary at the state and regional level as the market for logging services is often quite local. Plus, many of the laws affecting loggers are state laws rather than federal regulations. These laws are quite variable because in some states, the state is not the only regulator of forest practices. Sometimes counties and even cities and municipalities pass laws affecting the harvest or transport of trees.
The United States is a large and diverse country with many types of harvesting operations producing the 450 million cubic metres consumed annually by the nation's industries. However, regional markets in the Northeast, South, Midwest and Far West have some common characteristics and logging contractors face similar problems. Such problems include:
From the author's perspective the Sustainable Forestry Initiative by the American Forest and Paper Association and the formation of the American Loggers Council have been generally positive for the forestry sector. However, the formalization of demands for logger competency by the forest industry and the counter-demands by loggers for rewards and recognition have brought long-standing stress between the two groups into sharp focus at times. In addition, loggers have asked industry to back up their demands for competent loggers by only using those loggers who have met the criteria rather than simply buying timber on the open market from the lowest cost source. The tension between loggers and the purchasers of their services is due in part to extreme competition for logging contracts in some parts of the country. There are too many logging contractors chasing too few logging jobs. Industry has benefited from this surplus but some exceptionally qualified loggers have chosen to shut down their businesses rather than operate below cost recovery or to seek wage or other concessions from their workers. It is likely that the consolidation of logging contractors will continue for the next few years.
In the US, unlike many countries, contractor associations are prohibited from collectively seeking logging rates as an organization. Such an effort is likely to be seen as illegal under restraint of trade and anti-trust legislation. By the same laws, it is not possible for the American Forest and Paper Association to compel its members to use only a particularly qualified logging contractor. What this situation calls for is highly professional and ethical behaviour on the part of individual sellers (logging contractors) and buyers (industry) so the market operates effectively. Furthermore, in such a competitive market, both buyers and sellers need to be able to price their services (including profit) and their expected costs for the actual logging job under consideration. It makes sense then for loggers and contract administrators from industry to understand logging costs and bidding practices.
Loggers and the forest industry are not alone in their efforts to provide better education for the sector. Many state logging organizations have teamed up with education providers to tailor courses for loggers. The Cooperative Extension System that already is a partnership between the federal US Department of Agriculture, Land Grant Universities, and County Governments is one such partner working with loggers on their educational needs. More than twenty states have educational programmes of cooperation with Extension and the loggers associations. For example, in Oregon the LEAP programme (Logger Education to Advance Professionalism) cooperates with Associated Oregon Loggers in their PRO-LOGGER PROGRAM by offering educational programmes for which credits (on an hour per credit basis) are accumulated. Over 350 Oregon logging firms are designated as Oregon PRO LOGGERS in the accredited logger programme. Nearly 600 loggers have attended LEAP courses on such topics as:
The ecology and silviculture course recognizes that loggers are in reality "applied ecologists" as they carry out their land management activities on the ground usually following advice from professional foresters and always trying to comply with Oregon's Forest Practices Act. Loggers are having great difficulty with their workforces and need help in dealing with labour shortages, training, and incentive options. The workshop addresses these and other important issues. In the logging cost workshop, an Excel™ program called Loggerbudget 99 (produced by the OSU Forest Engineering Department) is the basis for understanding machine and other business costs and helps loggers make bids and track their production once the bid is accepted.
Similar programme offerings are available in other states, each tailored to the needs of the logger audience. One powerful outcome of the increase in logger education is that once loggers see the benefits of such educational programmes, they demand other continuing education programmes that will help them in their business and professional lives. Nothing around a logging operation ever runs absolutely smoothly and this phenomenon extends to the entire logging sector in the US. However, compared with the prior twenty years of logger education, organization, and cooperation, the past five years have seen extraordinary changes and progress. The future is exciting and challenging.
For further information, please contact:
| Dr. John J. Garland, PE Professor and Timber Harvesting Extension Specialist Forest Engineering Department Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331, USA e-mail: John.Garland@orst.edu |
In Germany, approximately 250,000 forest workers, members of the reserve services or of fire brigades have to wear cut-resistant protective clothing permanently or occasionally to protect themselves against injuries from hand-held chain saws. However, the protective clothing available up to now has been criticised or even rejected by the wearers: they claim that due to limited water vapour permeability ('breathability'), it cannot be worn for long during warm weather or for strenuous activity without causing critical overheating of the body.
On behalf of the Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), the Bekleidungs-physiologisches Institut Hohenstein (Hohenstein Institute for Clothing Physiology) carried out a research project with the aim of investigating textile composition and the cut of individual components (trousers with cut-resistant inlays, underwear, foul-weather suit) of protective clothing in order to develop noticeably better ergonomic properties than those of the products available at present.
Findings:Examination of currently available protective trousers revealed considerable discomfort for the wearer. After a certain time, the wearing of conventional cut-resistant trousers leads to a rise in body temperature to the critical level of 38.2 Celsius at which the average trained person is forced to rest due to physical exhaustion. This clearly shows the need for an improvement in protective clothing for users of hand-held chain saws.
An ergonomically improved material - a mixed fabric of PES/CO 65/35 with an area weight of 215 g/m2 in 2/2 twill weave - has been developed. This fabric was found to be comfortable to wear, whereas samples of commercially available protective clothing were classified in the range of less comfortable down to poor. The 'breathability' of the new textile was also judged favourable.
Lengthwise stitching improved the cut-resistant inlay without compromising its ability to protect: thermal insulation was reduced by 32% compared with cut-resistant inlay without stitching, water vapour resistance decreased by 25% and the moisture regulation index improved by 10%.
For further information, please contact:
| Dr. P. Mehlem Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin Dortmund, Germany fax: +49 231 90 71 294 |
In hot countries, as well as in temperate ones during the summer, the wearing of
safety helmets in wood harvesting operations considerably increases heat stress.
Workers are therefore tempted to remove their safety helmets, thus increasing the
risk of injuries.
Some years ago, this led to the development in Germany and other countries of helmets with ventilation holes to improve air flow. As a result, more sweat was carried away and a cooling effect obtained; this was, however, only moderate. It was therefore suggested that the area of ventilation holes should be drastically increased but it was found that this lowered the shock resistance of the helmet to below the required level. A solar-powered ventilator has also been developed, but it does not work in the shade.
Recently, a new idea has been tested, namely to fit the helmet with a cooling element. Studies at a temperature of 32 Celsius have shown that the temperature in the helmet with the cooling element was about 10 degrees lower than in one without it. This was observed during a 30-minute cycle where physical activity and rest periods were included. The cooling element was effective for 1.5 hours.
The results of the study have clearly shown that the use of a cooling element
leads to a substantial reduction in the impact of heat and moisture.
The prototype helmet has won a prize in a safety competition for the German forestry industry and the developer invites other interested parties to participate in practical trials.
He can be reached at the following address:
| Eckhard Hotz Bitzer Gasse DE-72458 Albstadt, Germany fax: +49 7431 58036 |
Organized by the Fédération de la Forêt de Gascogne (the regional forest industries association) in cooperation with AFOCEL, this seminar attracted some 130 participants from 19 countries, one of the largest audiences at any Joint Committee seminar.
On the agenda were forecasts and views by forest owners, eminent industry representatives and researchers concerning the future context for forestry and the way the sector was expected to adapt to changing conditions. Four technical sessions explored
Plenary sessions were complemented by field trips, a poster session and working groups.
Some of the conclusions reached by the participants are summarized in the following: Forestry has responded to changing economic, environmental and social demands under the sustainable development goal, but the sector has to develop economically in production and consumption patterns in which consumers, owners and shareholders follow a logic of 'more, cheaper, and faster'. Present patterns may ultimately prove unsustainable, which would mean that current efforts to practise sustainable forestry take place in an unsustainable context.
Impressive gains in productivity in forest operations contributed significantly
to preserving or regaining competitiveness, particularly where machine and
information technologies have been integrated and used in adapted forms of
work organization, such as more or less autonomous teams of operators.
Cut-to-length methods look set to increase their share in wood harvesting.
New and effective forms of work organization often require cooperation
across firms as well as with other firms along the wood supply chain, together
with massive investment in human resources. Major wood processing firms
have been in the vanguard of these developments and play an increasing role
in mobilizing timber.
The hi-tech methods now applied turn out to have high human content. Difficulties in recruiting young talent and in upgrading skills are common. If the sector is to maintain its 'licence to operate' and to build the partnerships needed with the public, as well as within the sector and in enterprises, social and communication skills need to be enhanced. Contractors play an ever bigger role but remain the stepchildren of the industry. Contractors' associations could play a vital role in developing the professional, efficient and technically advanced contracting firms needed in the future.
The full report of the seminar as well as - in the near future - the proceedings are available from the Joint Committee secretariat:
| Christiane Kind FAO/ECE Timber Section Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland e-mail: Christiane.Kind@unece.org |
by Dr. Edgar Kastenholz and Dr. Ewa Lidén
In German forestry significant changes are taking place primarily triggered by the need to remain competitive on the world markets in times of stagnating timber prices and rising cost, in particular for labour. These changes have a considerable impact on the organization of forestry work. A shrinking workforce and rising professional demands are leading to conflicts and problems, which it may not be possible to solve by conventional strategies such as outsourcing and mechanization.
One solution is to organize forest workers into semi-autonomous groups applying a concept developed in Sweden in the late 1980s (see FORWORKNET Update, December 1993). These groups involve a number of workers in a production unit sharing a common task for which they assume to a considerable degree the responsibility and coordination and work organization. Typically group members can perform a range of functions and tasks and rotate jobs flexibly among themselves. It is hoped that group work would lead to job enrichment and an increase in competence. Another probable outcome is that employees would identify more closely with the enterprise. This usually results in greater job satisfaction, which in turn promotes the achievement of the enterprise's objectives. It is also likely that group work would contribute to an improvement in working conditions through job rotation and better scheduling.
Various pilot projects have been initiated to implement the organization of semi-autonomous groups in German forestry, the progress and outcome of which are the subject of an extensive research programme including case studies on a group in mechanized harvesting in the Thüringen state forest service and one doing motor-manual work in the Rheinland-Pfalz state forest service.
In both states group work was introduced following an adapted version of the Swedish 'The Strong Team' concept which phases in the new structure over a period of 6 months with the help of outside facilitators. In both cases it was found that the objectives of the semi-autonomous team concept had largely been attained. The newly gained openness among the group members was a particularly valuable achievement.
It was evident that information and communication were of great importance for the successful implementation of semi-autonomous groups. Among other things, workers should be informed of management's objectives well in advance of implementation, since it was observed that workers often did not know why they were the subject of a reorganization. Also the idea that workers would be free to develop and realize their own projects should be clearly and convincingly conveyed to them.
Both cases showed that changes originating from workers' ideas take time. Over the six-month introductory period, important achievements could be gained but the process of development to a semi-autonomous group could only be initiated, not completed. The latter requires a continuous process of learning and developing the willingness to take over more responsibility.
First experiences show that the implementation of semi-autonomous groups is an adequate means of improving the situation of forestry enterprises in Germany. But it requires a fairly skilled workforce and reasonably stable employment conditions. Last but not least openness to new ideas at all levels of the enterprise and confidence in workers' abilities are essential.
For further information, including copies of the full report, please contact the authors:
| Dr. Ewa Lidén Wilhelmshöher Weg 46 A DE-31428 Kassel Tel/Fax +49 561 60 21 21 |
or | Dr. Edgar Kastenholz Institut für Forstbenutzung und forstliche Arbeitswissenschaft Universität Freiburg Werderring 6, DE-79085 Freiburg Fax +49 761 20 33 763 E-mail: kastenho@uni-freiburg.de |
As part of a large project dealing with the effects of structural change on occupational groups in the forest sector, Dr. Tapio Klen of the Kuopio Regional Institute of Occupational Health in Finland prepared a thesis under the above title. The project, which is being conducted by several universities and research institutes, was initiated, organized and to a great extent financed by the Foundation of Foresters (Metsämiesten Säätiö).
Background: In 1991 and 1994 inquiries were undertaken in order to define occupational stressors, job stress, mental job strain, and both mental and somatic symptoms in five forestry occupations, i.e. academically trained forester, forest engineer/technician, forest machine contractor, forest machine operator and lumberjack.
The aim of and problems to be tackled by the exploratory, comparative, and explanatory study were the following: first, comparison of the five occupational groups as regards stressors, certain coping resources, job stress, mental job strain, and mental and somatic symptoms; second, search for the main discriminators for these occupations; third, an understanding-oriented evaluation of the potential effect of structural change on stress-related problems; fourth, search for direct and indirect links between stressors, stress and outcomes, e.g. with the aid of correlations, regression analyses, and models; fifth, search for moderators for stressor or stress-outcome relationships.
Mental stress was defined theoretically as the perceived mental tension due to a cognitively appraised mismatch between the individual's internal or external resources or potentialities, on the one hand, and internal demands such as expectations, needs, values, goals or desires, or external demands set by the environment, on the other.
Job stress was assessed by asking 'How stressed do you feel at work', and mental job strain by asking 'How mentally strained do you feel at work'.
Findings: Between 1991 and 1994, structural changes in the forest sector had progressively been introduced. Mergers, reorganizations and rapid mechanization had released not only manual labour, but also technicians and professionals. Structural changes had led to a weakening of job security in groups other than machine contractors and operators. It is worth noting that in 1994 operators felt their jobs to be as secure as those of professionals and more secure than those of their employers, i.e. the contractors.
In 1991, professionals were the most exposed to role ambiguity, bullying, and poor organizational practice. These stressors were more often felt to be problems by white-collar than by blue-collar workers. The technicians, often acting between the forest workers and the professionals, suffered most from job role conflicts.
In 1994, the weekly working time of contractors had increased by 6.5 hours
and that of operators by more than 3.5 hours
over 1991. The difference in
weekly working time between contractors and lumberjacks was greater than
20 hours, and that between contractors and technicians over 17 hours, the
highest number of working hours recorded being for contractors. In line with
the extended working time, work pressure and the use of mental resources
also rose crucially among contractors and operators, and slightly among
professionals during the three-year period. A smaller rise was noted among
lumberjacks, but no change among technicians.
Altogether, except for weekly working hours, job insecurity and role conflicts, professionals scored highest on both process- and structure-oriented stressors. Operators scored lowest on many structure-oriented stressors, and the lumberjacks scored lowest on process-oriented stressors. As regards the latter (e.g. work pressure, weekly working hours, use of mental capacity), employees are able to recover from temporary quantitative job overload by resting, and mental well-being is not necessarily affected outside work. Structure-oriented stressors (e.g. discrepancies, structural change, job insecurity, bullying, role conflicts, role ambiguity), however, often extend their adverse effects into leisure time and the entire well-being.
In both study years, professionals felt the most job stress and mental job strain and lumberjacks the least. All in all, in spite of the clear rise in job stress between 1991 and 1994, mental job strain had not increased. However, in line with the rise in job stress, there was also a modest rise in mental symptoms in that period. The mental symptoms of lumberjacks had increased the most, and they scored at roughly the same level as contractors and professionals in 1994. While the job stress and clearly also the mental job strain of operators had increased, their symptoms had diminished slightly between 1991 and 1994.
No clear change was found in the mental or somatic symptoms of the technicians. Their situation remained stable as regards most stressors, moderators, job stress, mental job strain, and symptoms. Otherwise, all the other groups showed more somatic symptoms, although the operators only marginally so. The greatest increase in somatic symptoms was found among contractors, followed by lumberjacks. The professionals, although scoring highest on mental symptoms, scored lowest on somatic symptoms.
Finally, there was no evidence that, in forest occupations, job stress and mental symptoms were more prevalent than in other occupations. The rise in mental symptoms was in line with many earlier studies concerning both the forest sector and other fields of economic activity.
For further information on this thesis, please contact:
| Dr. Tapio Klen Neulalammentie 13 FIN-70780 Kuopio tel: +358 17 261 3341 |
| Date and location | Topic | Contact |
| 28 - 29 April 2000 Vienna, Austria |
Workshop on learning from resource users - a paradigm shift in tropical forestry | Ms. Julia Roetzer Austrian National Code EFTRN Institute for Forest Ecology University of Agricultural Sciences BOKU, Peter Jordan Strasse 82 A-1190 VIENNA, Austria Tel. +43 - 1 - 47654 - 4124 Fax +43 - 1 - 479 78 96 E-mail: jroetzer@woek.boku.ac.at |
| 16 - 20 May 2000 Forestry Field Station Hyytiälä, Finland |
Forestry Information Systems (Seminar Joint Committee on Technology, Management and Training) |
Mr. Asko Saatsi Forest and Park Service P.O. Box 94 FIN-01301 VANTAA Finland Tel. +358-0-20564 4410 Fax +358-0-20564 4444 |
| 2 - 7 June 2000 Fallingbostel, Germany |
PROSILVA 2000 Congress in the context of the World Exposition EXPO 2000 in Hanover, Germany |
Alfred Toepfer Academy for Nature Conservation, Hof Moehr, DE-29640 Schneeverdingen, Tel. +49 - 5199 - 989 - 21 Fax +49 - 5199 - 989 - 46 E-mail: naturschutzakademie-nna@t-online.de |
| 5 - 6 August 2000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Improved forest management and harvesting practices tropical forests | Mr. Joachim Lorbach, Chief, FOPH, FAO Forestry Department Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 ROME, Italy Tel. +39 06 570 547 27 Fax +39 06 570 556 18 E-mail: joachim.lorbach@fao.org |
| 2 - 8 October 2000 Menemen-Izmir, Turkey |
Seminar on harvesting of non-wood forest products in the Mediterranean region with the participation of the IUFRO (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations) | FAO Forestry Department (as above) |
| April 2001 (1 week) Portugal |
Women in forestry | Peter Poschen (see below) |
 |
Contact address: Peter Poschen Forestry and Wood Industries Specialist International Labour Office CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland fax: +41 22 799 7967 e-mail: poschen@ilo.org |
Never before have so many female foresters from so many countries gathered
together: a great success for the Norwegian organizing committee and its
chairperson Dr. Ann Merete Furuberg Gjedtjernet - the first woman in the world to
earn a doctorate in forest engineering - and an important contribution to the
women's movement. So why did the participants find it necessary to look at forestry
from a female perspective? The most obvious answer given at the Symposium was
because women have been in the past - and still are - affected by forest policy
without having a say in the development of those policies. Of course the impact of
the policies varies depending on geographical, environmental, sociological,
economic and political conditions. In developing countries women suffer from
diminishing biodiversity as a result of forest plantation and deforestation, as they
cannot fulfil the task of feeding their children without making use of a variety of forest products such as fruits, herbs or fuel
wood. But this is rarely taken into account by male politicians.