Injuries

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.

Worker’s compensation claims data show dairy workers have a higher injury rate than workers in other industries. Industry specific risks include acute injuries from animal assaults, slips and falls on wet surfaces, and chronic injuries from repetitive stress. For many hired diary workers, Spanish is their primary language.

Project Overview

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.

Tree-fruit activities such as pruning, structural cutting, and green fruit thinning, are high-intensity labor activities traditionally performed on the ground or on ladders. To explore the impact of new technology on worker strain and injury, this project conducted a comparison between three different treatment groups: ground, ladder, and harvest-assisted mobile platforms.