Forestry
Evaluation of Wearable-Based Activity Recognition Modeling Applications for Logging Safety
This pilot project is integrating geospatial technology and activity recognition modeling into a Garmin smartwatch and smartphone application for rigging crew workers in the logging industry. This application aims to prevent injuries by improving loggers’ situational awareness by providing real-time updates of their coworkers’ work activity status and location.
Pilot: Sexual Harassment Prevention
This project was created in response to concerns voiced by farmworker health and social service providers about the occupational health risks of women agricultural workers, as well as increased media and legal attention regarding sexual harassment in the agricultural workplace. The hidden nature of this issue profoundly impacts women’s ability to work safely in agriculture. The agricultural industry also shares its concern about the lack of culturally-appropriate educational resources available to address this problem.
Forestry Services
Forestry services work occurs nationwide, yet is often hidden from the public eye.
Spanish Glossary of Forestry Services Terms
Safety communication for forestry workers can be complicated by language barriers and the use of specific technical and lay jargon. At times, workers are unfamiliar with the tasks they perform, forest management practices, and goals. This is particularly an issue for Hispanic forestry workers, which comprise a significant portion of the forestry workforce. Establishing a common set of terms will help firms, supervisors, and workers communicate safety concerns and best practices.
Pilot: Occupational Safety and Health of Forest Workers
The forest service workforce is a predominately Spanish-speaking and immigrant population that faces language barriers, isolated working environments, and dangerous working conditions. To address the occupational health and safety concerns of this population, this project explored the injuries and illnesses and related medical treatment. The data collected in this project was used to pilot a job health and safety promotora program for forest service workers.
Northwest Forest Worker Safety
Who is the NW forestry workforce?
The iconic Northwest image of a lumberjack swinging his axe amid towering conifers has not reflected reality for over a century. Technology has made mechanized logging the norm, except on the steepest slopes, such as many in the Northwest. And the workforce today does not reflect the logging workforce even a generation ago. Experienced loggers are aging and the new workforce has a high turnover rate.
Safety and Health of Immigrant Cedar Block Harvesters on the Olympic Peninsula
Latino immigrant workers are increasingly finding employment as laborers in Pacific Northwest forests. This project provided a baseline understanding of the hazards faced by salvage cedar block cutters and the barriers they may face in addressing these occupational health and safety hazards. Employing community based participatory research methods, 13 key informant interviews were conducted with forest and community workers. The findings of this project, in brief, include: