• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 2020

A forest operation is considered as one of the riskiest environments for the development of musculoskeletal disorders because operators are exposed to harmful environmental conditions such as rough terrain, inclement weather, and poor working postures. In weed and kudzu removal operations, manual application is still common in Korea. In this study, we evaluated the ergonomic conditions of weed and kudzu removal in regeneration forests and the associated risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The risk of musculoskeletal disorders was evaluated using the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System and postural risk index. Postural risk was significantly higher for kudzu compared with weed removal operations. This suggests that kudzu removal operations must be improved to decrease postural risk.