The objective of this study was to evaluate operators’ posture and repetitive motions in the mechanized wood harvesting operations, aiming comfort, safety, and health of forest operators. The study was carried out in the clearcutting of pine stands located in Paraná State, Brazil. Data were obtained in tree cutting operations with feller buncher and wood processing with harvesters, in which three operators in each machine were filmed during their workday. The typical postures were evaluated by Rapid Whole-Body Assessment (REBA) and Rapid Upper-Limb Assessment (RULA) methods, while repetitive motions were evaluated by Latko, Silverstein and Strain Index (SI) methods. The results showed the feller buncher operators remained long period seated in static position, with fists turning outside the neutral line and without pauses for recovery, although REBA and RULA methods had identified low postural risk. In wood processing operation, the spinal column and neck were the most affected body parts, presenting medium postural risk and the need for investigations and quickly changes by REBA and RULA methods, respectively. Besides that, wood harvesting operations with feller buncher and harvester were classified as high repeatability, showing more than 30 thousand repetitive motions in a workday, indicating high risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs) and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in the operators. Therefore, it is concluded the ergonomic measures are necessary to improve operators’ comfort and health.

Objetivou-se analisar o nível de exposição de trabalhadores a ruídos e vibração de mãos e braços por máquinas utilizadas na colheita semimecanizada de madeira. A pesquisa foi realizada em áreas operacionais de uma empresa florestal na região Sul do Espírito Santo, em povoamentos de Pinus elliottii com 40 anos de idade. Analisou-se ruído e vibração nas atividades parciais do ciclo de trabalho do corte com motosserra e extração de madeira com trator agrícola equipado com grua e carreta. O nível de exposição a ruídos foi mensurado com dosímetro e a vibração com acelerômetro, seguindo as normas NHO-01 e ISO 5349-1. As atividades de corte e extração superaram o limite de exposição a ruídos, apresentando 100,8 dB (A) e 91,3dB (A), respectivamente. Para o corte, a análise de vibração demonstrou níveis de fadiga em ambos os eixos estudados, destacando o desgalhamento com maior exposição (0,265 m s-²). Observaram-se níveis de fadiga nos eixos xy dos membros superiores dos trabalhadores durante a extração, com destaque para o deslocamento carregado e vazio (0,174 m s-²). Observa-se a necessidade de adoção de medidas que diminuam a exposição dos operários às condições inadequadas, sendo consideradas indispensáveis para o desempenho das atividades.

Many studies on ergonomics in forestry operations are punctual and assess ergonomic variables in isolation, with each result being obtained on a specific scale. Thus, the objective of this study was to improve an ergonomic indicator through a classification according to the urgency of the ergonomic intervention, to improve its practicality of application in forest harvesting machines. This research was carried out in planted forests of a company in Southern Brazil, and based on ergonomic evaluations of a feller buncher, a skidder, a forest processor, harvesters, and forwarder machines during the day and night shifts. Vibration, noise, heat, illumination, repeatability, postures, and visibility angles were measured. The results of the ergonomic assessments were standardized by adapting the ergonomic Degree of Compliance (V) method calculated with the legislation norms, having a value between 0 and 1, and the higher the value, the greater the compliance with effective norms and guidelines. It was proposed to classify the degree of ergonomic urgency in different colors. The skidder showed the worst degrees of compliance, requiring emergency corrective measures, with an emphasis on vibrations (V 0.0 and 0.1), noise (V 0.2) and visibility in the lateral plane (V 0.0) in both shifts worked due to shocks and bumps in the machine’s movements and visibility difficulty in the operation, in addition to illumination (V 0.6) at night and heat (V 0.8) in the daytime. The forestry processor showed the best ergonomic performance without any urgencies but emphasizing care with noise (V 0.7 and 0.8) and the daily dose of vibration (V 0.8 and 0.7) in both shifts. The classification by a color scale made it possible to better interpret the indicators and facilitate the practical application of corrective ergonomic interventions.

Ergonomic evaluations of forest machines are carried out in isolation due to the lack of an adequate method that makes it possible to correlate the ergonomic variables simultaneously. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ergonomic performance of certain forest machines by using the Integrated Ergonomic Indicator (IEI), capable of correlating ergonomic variables simultaneously. Vibration, noise, heat, illuminance, posture, repeatability, visibility and productivity were obtained from a feller buncher, harvester, forwarder, skidder and processor machines in two work shifts with 24 operators. The ergonomic data were subjected to cluster analysis and standardized by their deviations from the average, being subjected to multivariate factor analysis to determine influencing factors in the composition of the IEI. The indicator for each factor was multiplied by the variance explained for each factor, with the result divided by the total explained variance. The values remained around 0 and the higher the result, the worse the ergonomic condition. The results showed that the variables that most negatively influenced the machines were vibration, noise and lateral visibility which were related to each other. The worst machine under the ergonomic aspect was the skidder, with an IEI of 2.82 and 1.60 for day and night shifts, respectively, caused by shocks and bumps in the work route, and also due to the operators spending a long time with their neck rotated. The best machines were the 8×8 harvester and the forest processor at night, with an IEI of −1.36 and −0.96, caused by vibration, noise and neck with little rotational deviation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the damage caused to the remaining trees of a pinus stand submitted to mechanized thinning by a wheeled harvester. The data were obtained in the operational areas of timber harvesting in a forest company located in the city of Inácio Martins, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The Pinus stand of the study was 11 years old, and was submitted to the first commercial thinning. The operation was performed by a harvester, characterized by the systematic removal of the 5th planting line to give access to the interior of the stand, followed by selective thinning in the individuals demarcated in the two lines adjacent to the traffic trails. The damage caused to the remaining trees of the stand regarding their numbers, dimensions and location in relation to the harvester’s operation track was evaluated, and the data were analyzed using the Profile Analysis multivariate analysis technique. It was observed that 25% of the remaining trees suffered some kind of damage, being considered a high value, but current to the literature. It was evidenced that the section of the tree in need of greater alert was the base because damages in greater intensity and dimensions were observed to it, which can bring future losses to the stand. Thus, a need for improvements in operational procedures was demonstrated.