CCPE–the use of an analytical method to evaluate safety and ergonomics in maintenance of forest machinery

Abstract

Many of the hazards in forestry are due to the handling of large trees and large machinery in rough terrain and remote areas. Activities such as maintenance and repair work have been identified as especially hazardous in the highly mechanised cut-to-length method. Accidents are under-reported, which emphasises the need for a systematic approach for accident prevention. A possible procedure is the use of an analytical evaluation method to identify presumptive hazardous situations and ergonomic issues before accidents can occur. Safety-critical sectors such as nuclear power and health care have invested many resources in these types of methods. The aim of this paper is to put one of those methods to test in a forestry context in a study evaluating maintenance of forest machinery. A framework for evaluation, Combined Cognitive and Physical Evaluation, known as CCPE, was selected and adapted for the study. The evaluation was successful in systematically predicting what could happen in hazardous situations with regard to use error and ergonomic issues.