The investigation of human factors that affect work productivity among Canadian forest workers

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The forest industry is a major economic sector in Canada. It is also one of the most dangerous industries forworkers. The use of mechanized mobile forestry harvesting machines has successfully reduced the incidence ofinjuries in forest workers related to manual labor. However, these machines have also created additionalconcerns, including a high machine operation learning curve, increased length of the workday, repetitive straininjury, cognitive load, physical and mental fatigue, and increased postural loads due to sitting in a confinedspace. Measuring and analyzing these factors is critical for employers to facilitate appropriate work practices,reduce the risk of injury, develop optimal recruitment criteria for employees, and establish design guidelinesfor mechanized mobile forestry machines. However, ergonomic field studies of this industry are lacking mainlydue to the difficulties in obtaining comprehensive data while operators are working in the field.At JDI, harvester operators are trained on simulation equipment prior to working in the field. This provides anexcellent opportunity for researchers to measure biomechanical and physiological data of operators understandard training procedures during simulated Canadian forest harvesting operations. The purpose of thiscollaborative study is to examine the effects of worker skill level and movement training speed on harvestingperformance using a forestry simulator. The information collected will help to determine those factors thatseparate skill levels of operators, optimal training speeds, and length of training required to bring new operatorsto an efficient skill level effectively. Improved training procedures and knowledge of the physical and mentaldemands on workers will lead to highly trained and efficient personnel, reduced risk of injury, and optimalwork protocols. Knowledge gained from this work will contribute to our current understanding of motorlearning and biomechanics and will be highly applicable to various other tasks and industries. This researchcollaboration will provide HQP training to an undergraduate and graduate student, and the lab manager in thefields of engineering and kinesiology.