PLC Logger's Voice - Summer 2019

Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Training: Getting the Attention It Should?
By Erika Scott
NEC Deputy
Director
How many times have you seen the boss coming,
only to realize that you forgot your hearing protection in
the shop? What about the days when your safety glasses are
protecting your truck’s center console, instead of your
eyes? You could be thinking right now, “Yup – that
happens more than I’d like to admit,” or, “No way – we run
a tight ship, and everyone wears their personal protective
equipment”.
Many factors contribute to a safe logging
operation, and personal protective equipment (PPE) and
safety training are critical components of the overall plan.
In what’s called the “Hierarchy of Controls” (Figure 1)
these are the last lines of defense, but often the ones we
have to think about most. Logging has come a long way
from the way your grandfathers and great-grandfathers did
things, with much of the work operated from a snug cab
filled with joysticks, toggle switches, and heat/AC (when
you’re lucky). But the reality is that today’s loggers are still
exposed to a lot of dangers.
The use of PPE isn’t just a sensible thing to do.
Often, it’s required by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), dependent on your job task or
role. (OSHA made these requirements after heaps of injury
reports and investigations showed PPE would have
lessened or spared someone from injury). Initial results
from our project, the Maine Logger Health and Safety
Study, suggest that Maine loggers may not be as vigilant
about PPE usage and safety training as they should.
Almost 400 Maine loggers have been a part of the
Maine Logger Health and Safety Study, a project of the
Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (NEC), a non-profit
research group. Many of you reading this may be involved
in the project. So far, nearly 400 loggers have given their
feedback through an initial survey, and about 300 continue
to participate. See figures 2 & 3 for more about the loggers
involved. In addition, more than 80 Maine loggers received
Figure 1. Hierarchy of Controls
(https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hierarchy/default.html)
Figure 2. Study Snapshot
NEC Continued Page 34
The Logger’s Voice ▪ Summer 2019 33