• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.61-80
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• 2002

Tree-harvesting worker data of 508 separate worker accidents are analyzed and an exploratory approach taken. The worker accident data cover a sample of five years. The scope of the study was the southeastern United States of America. As might be hypothesized, the chainsaw was the most hazardous type of tree-harvesting equipment. It accounted for 55％ of the tree-harvesting accidents. Most chainsaw accidents resulted in injuries to the lower extremities and were more frequent among younger employees. The probability of one or more chainsaw accidents occurring in any 30-day period was approximately 0.856. Chainsaw accidents were more likely to occur in late morning and early afternoon. We used statistical tools such as Pareto charts, c-charts and Ishikawa diagrams. Such tools are useful in diagnosing the root-cause of tree-harvesting worker accidents and help in developing preventive safety programs. Recommendations to help improve the quality of information of accident data collected by insurance companies and others are briefly given. The strategy and culture of continuous process improvements are stressed.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.168-171
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• 2019

The treatment outcome remains poor of severe facial injuries because of the high risk of compromised airway or massive bleeding. We experienced two successful treatment cases of severe facial injury by the chainsaw. A 52-year-male had his face injured by the chainsaw during his work. He was transferred to the Level I trauma center using the Doctor-Helicopter. During his flight, bleeding control was tried and the information was given to the trauma surgeons before his arrival. His consciousness was alert and the vital signs were stable. The crushing wound, mandible open fracture, deep laceration of tongue, lip, neck and arterial bleeding were noted around his mandible. Nasotracheal intubation was performed under the bronchoscope-guided. Emergency operation (open reduction & internal fixation, primary repair with neurorrhaphy) was performed. At 30 hospital days, he was discharged with facial palsy on left mandibular area. A 30-year-male had his face injured by the chainsaw. He was transferred to our Level I trauma center from the local hospital. The deep-mutiple lacerations on right upper eyelid and forehead with the bony exposure were noted. The vital signs were stable and emergency operation was performed. He was discharged at 20 hospital days. Bone loss or tissue loss were not devastating than we expected even though the injury was occurred by the chainsaw. Aggressive treatment including airway manipulation or bleeding control and maximal opportunity of therapy are absolutely needed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.3
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• pp.341-348
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• 2019

In order to reduce the safety risk of forestry operations, this research was conducted to examine the suitability of chainsaw protective pants after repeated laundering, testing four different products that are currently used in hand-held chainsaw operations. Laundering was repeated 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 times. After washing, we measured the shrinkage ratio of 17 measurement positions mostly affecting the safety of forest operations and suggested the expected safety life cycle of chainsaw protective clothes. The results showed that most of the products have only one measurement position where the standard shrinkage ratio (<6%) was exceeded after 20 washings, and that the lateral direction of measurement positions shrank more than the vertical one. The numbers of repeated launderings and measurement positions were found to be significant factors influencing the shrinkage ratio (p<0.05). In the shrinkage rates for 17 measurement positions, there were significant correlations between five of the measurement positions (a, b, g, j, and n) and the number of repeated launderings (p<0.05). Therefore, the results suggest that about 10 months would be suitable for an adequate safety lifetime for chainsaw protective pants. The relationship between the number of repeated launderings and the measurement positions will be further analyzed in detail to examine the durability of chainsaw protective pants.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.118-122
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• 2022

The usual cause of penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries with evisceration are stab wounds with knives and other sharp weapons used during fights and conflicts. Evisceration of the abdominal viscera as a result of trauma, with its attendant morbidity and mortality, requires early intervention. Gunshot wounds can also cause penetrating thoracoabdominal injuries. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient, a worker at a timber-processing factory, who was assaulted with a chainsaw by his colleague following a disagreement. He was seen at the accident and emergency department of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria with a thoracoabdominal injury about 1.5 hours after the attack. He had a left thoracoabdominal laceration with abdominal evisceration and an open left pneumothorax. He was managed operatively, made a full recovery, and was discharged 16 days after admission. He was readmitted 4 months after the initial surgery with acute intestinal obstruction secondary to adhesions. He underwent exploratory laparotomy and adhesiolysis. He made an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the 9th postoperative day for subsequent follow-up.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.61-62
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• 2020

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.258-259
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• 2019

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.73 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 1986

The processing times of the works, chainsaw felling, axe trimming and hand skidding to the corridor, by one-man-work method per single pole timber were investigated in the thinning young Japanese larch stand at the Training Forests of the Forest Work Tranining Center in Kangwon-do. The works were performed by a skilled worker with the craftman qualification and 69 trees were cut. Time was checked at intervals of 25/100 minute by the multimoment method and the worker's efficiency was evaluated for every cycle. Total working time was 8.11 hours of which 90% was for thinning work and 10% for cleaning work. Of the total working hours, 82.7% was net working time, 12.3% was general working time and 4.9% was non-valuated time. Of the net working time, 5.9hours, for only thinning, 20.9% was spent on moving to the feeling tree, 27.1% was spent on felling, 40.5% was spent on trimming and 11.5% was spent on skidding to corridor. Net chainsaw operating time was 0.94 hour which included 0.2 hour for cleaning work. Of the net chainsaw operating time, 0.94 hour, 66% was operating time and 34% was idle running time. The basic and general working times by DBH classes with application of 130% worker's efficiency calculated from regression equations were shown in table 1. For better practical using of this table, the simplified proposal was given in table 2.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.107-112
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• 2014

The productivity and cost of clear cutting operations were examined to broaden our knowledge on the harvesting system in a Larix leptolepis stand of Korea. The harvesting system was divided into tree operations which were chainsaw (STIHL MS440) felling, tower yarder (Koller301-4) yarding and harvester (WOODY H50) processing. The average cycle time of felling, yarding and processing were 98 s/cycle, 245 s/cycle and 150 s/cycle. The total stump-to-pile operational productivity was 43.07 $m^3/hr$. The highest production activity was the felling 17.93 $m^3/hr$, followed by the productivity of processing 15.62 $m^3/hr$ and then by the productivity of yarding 9.52 $m^3/hr$. In addition the total stump-to-pile operational cost was 24,086 $won/m^3$. The highest cost activity was the yarding 14,557 $won/m^3$ (60.4% of the total cost), followed by the costs of processing 8,461 $won/m^3$ (35.2%) and then by the costs of felling 1,068 $won/m^3$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.23 no.4_2
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• pp.593-601
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• 2020

This study was conducted to analyze the physical strain with heart rate monitor in timber harvesting operations in order to reduce occupational accidents. The timber harvesting activities are manual cutting(felling, limbing and bucking) with a chainsaw and extraction by cable yarder. The study took place on Japanese larch stand. The average height was 26m and average diameter at breast height(DBH) was 3 7cm. The havest unit was gentle slope to steep slope. Results showed that the heart rate increases for chocking, felling, limbing and bucking were 94.0%, 87.9%, 84.8% and 56.4% respectively. The rate of Work Load Index was higher in the limbing(61.4%) activity than other activities chocking(55.2%), felling(54.1%) and bucking(32.1%). During 50% working heart rate test it was found that limbing(1.09), chocking(1.05) and felling(1.04) was exposed to high work intensity compared to bucking(0.83). The results showed that maximum acceptable work times(felling, chocking and limbing) were 2.30 hour, 1.85 hour and 1.60 hour respectively. To avoid occupational accidents, timber harvest workers may use a suitable working hour schedule to felling, chocking, limbing.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.2
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• pp.221-229
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• 2015

The purpose of study was to broaden our knowledge on the productivity and cost of thinning operations which has become increasingly practiced in Korea. The thinning operations were conducted in a 40-year old larch (Larix leptolepis) stand, including chainsaw felling and processing at the stump, followed by yarding tree-length logs using a Koller K301-4 tower yarder. The logs were further processed and sorted into 1.8 m and 3.6 m log piles at the landing. We used a standard time study method to evaluate key variables that affect the productivity of thinning operations. The total stump-to-pile operational cost was $41,707won/m^3$. The highest cost activity was the yarding phase which cost $20,083won/m^3$ (48.2% of the total cost), followed by the costs of processing treelength materials into marketable log lengths ($12,143won/m^3$; 29.1%), and then by the costs of sorting/piling the processed logs ($5,039won/m^3$; 12.1%). It was interesting to see that felling and processing trees at the stump had low costs at $1,315won/m^3$ (3.2%) and $3,127won/m^3$ (7.5%), respectively. We used the detailed time study data to develop regression equations which were to predict yarding productivity. Our analysis showed that harvesting system cost was highly sensitive to the number of logs, yarding distance and lateral distance per turn, respectively.