• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.271-281
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• 2021

Pinus densiflora and Larix kaempferi forests not only extended the plantation management area but also cultivated to the sustainable wood supply chain during the last 5-years. These prescriptions are primarily done by manual operation activities, particularly in young tree tending. Two types of tending activities, brashing by brush cutter(BB) and pruning by pruning shear and saw(PP), were selected for the investigate of musculoskeletal disorders' level and postural risks using Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS). The postural risk indexes (BB and PP) ranged from 115 to 125 and 102 to 105, respectively. There is no significant difference between the species. The young tree tending operations had low postural risks. The results may be used as basic data to develop technical guideline for safe young trees.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.3
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• pp.303-321
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• 2023

To develop the Forest Work Load Index (FWLI) for estimating the work intensity of forest workers, a study focused on forest tending was conducted. To estimate the FWLI, we used the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and the Work Load Index (WLI). The OWAS is a prominent method used for analyzing musculoskeletal load in work tasks, and WLI is a prominent method used for analyzing the work intensity of workers. The PRI values analyzed for each forest tending project were 185.3 (Thinning), 150.6 (Pruning), 181.1 (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 197.0 (Thinning for Young Trees). The WLI values, calculated on the basis of the measured heart rates, were 59.5% (Thinning), 53.5% (Pruning), 56.2% (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 62.3% (Thinning for Young Trees). The FWLI was calculated using the analyzed PRI and WLI values. The FWLI values for the forest tending project were 110.2 (Thinning), 80.7 (Pruning), 102.1 (Thinning for Forest Fire Prevention), and 123.0 (Thinning for Young Trees). The FWLI developed in this study can be used to quantitatively compare the workloads of forest workers. In the future, the analyzed FWLI can be used as a basis for improving forest workers' postures and comparing workloads across different forest projects.