Abstract
In order to compare the vibration and noise exposure of STIHL’s battery-powered MSA 220 C and the combustion driven MS 201 C, a professional operator was monitored during a pre-commercial thinning operation in a twenty-year-old hardwood stand. The vibration levels were measured with a tri-axial accelerometer on the front and rear handle of both the chainsaws, and assigned to five different work elements using a video documentation. Additionally, noise levels were recorded in one-minute intervals, with a dosemeter worn by the operator. The results show that battery-powered chainsaws, when compared to combustion-driven chainsaws, can reduce the daily vibration exposure by more than 45% and the noise dose by about 78.4%, during pre-commercial thinning tasks. Replacing combustion-driven chainsaws with battery-powered ones is therefore generally recommended, to reduce occupational health risks for operators, in this respect. However, the daily vibration exposure of about 2.42 m/s2, caused by the battery-powered chainsaw on the front handle, is still very close to the daily exposure action value set by the EU directives for health and safety requirements. The daily noise exposure of 89.18 dB(A) even exceeds the upper exposure action value. Consequently, a further reduction in the vibration exposure during work is desirable. With respect to noise exposure, additional measures must be implemented for conformity with the current safety standards, making the use of hearing protectors mandatory for electric chainsaws, too.
Highlights
Forest operations are, and always were, tedious and accident-prone, classifying forestry workers as an occupational group with a high risk of work-related injuries and illnesses [1]
We compared the hand–arm vibration and noise exposure caused by a battery–powered and a combustion engine chainsaw, during a professional precommercial thinning operation
Battery-powered chainsaws can lead to a considerable reduction in vibration and noise exposure; The vibration and noise exposure of battery-powered chainsaws might often be underestimated; Hearing protection and glove use is recommended during all operating times
Summary
Always were, tedious and accident-prone, classifying forestry workers as an occupational group with a high risk of work-related injuries and illnesses [1]. Fully-mechanized harvester-forwarder systems are state-of-the-art in commercial forest operations, outcompeting motor-manual operations in many European countries [3,4,5]. Operational restrictions, such as terrain, legal regulations, stand size and structure, or silvicultural regimes, can often compromise the efficiency of fully mechanized harvesting systems. Such constraints, for instance, limit the application of fully mechanized operations, to only about 60% of the entire forest area in Germany [6]. The operators of motor-manual hand tools are directly exposed to the work environment, potentially causing discomfort through, e.g., weather and vegetation, and fatigue, by moving in difficult terrain, with associated risks such as trip, slip and fall injuries [2]
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