PAGE 6 - NORTHWEST FORESTRY DIGEST JANUARY 1997 Forestry workers should care for back THEY CONTORT their bodies into awkward posi- tions to operate chainsaws, they loop heavy chains around logs, and they sit in logging trucks for 16 hours, manipulating large stecring wheels. They are [orestry workers, and many are in- jured as a. result of .the physical demands . of their jobs. At that point they” re. likely io need help;’ and that’s when physiotherapists are asked to help repair the damage. “Thirty to forty per cent of my climates are here be- cause of forestry related in- juries,”’ says Terrace physiotherapist ~~ Mallory Glustien. She works ‘at the Kermodei ~ Physiotherapy Clinic. Not all of them are there on workers’ compensation claims. Sometimes. a man will injure himself doing something simple, like pick- ing up a child. But the in- jury is actually due to job- related strains. “Over time things just wear out,”’ says Lori Jan- zen, Glustien’s co-worker, She sees injuries from im- proper use of the back, CLI tendinitis and repetitive ac- tivities. For example, crane opera- tors who sit and reach for controls all day, are prone to neck, back and arm pain. Spacers, who carry large chainsaws, often end up put- ting too much: pressure ‘on the discs in their backs. Then there’s injury from trauma, such as falls, broken bones, torn ligaments and strains, “We do everything from the simple to the very.com- plex and. long term,’’ “says Janzen. , What both women would like to see*are more pre- ventalive programs, lo kecp forestry workers from being. injured. : “We're only paid to treat the person, not communice- te with the-employer,”’ Glustien. And that’s frustra- ting for them. They hope employers will buy into the concept that fit- ter employers, better edu- cated * about ~~ injury- prevention, will save them money in the long term. “We're treating after the fact,’” says Glusticn, ‘‘No one’s gone in there and said, ‘you're out of shape.’ And says there’s a big danger that workers will re-injure them- selves if they don’t get in better shape. That’s because stronger muscles help pro- tect vulnerable areas, like spines.. Another problem is ‘that saine forestry workers won't admit they're: hurting until they can’t physically do their jobs. “Cutbacks make people worried. They'll do” any- thing to keep -their jobs, in- cluding things ‘which: cause injuries,” says Janzen. Another leading cause of -injuries-is fatigue, The in- dusiry demands long. hours during the height of the sea- son, and the human body. simply ~ isn’t - designed to work. that hard for. that long, particularly when someone isn’t in good physical condi- tion. - Getting employees to take part in ~ injury prevention programs could be ¢asier than some would think. ‘By the time we see them they're willing to do any- thing,’’ says Janzen.. ‘‘Pain makes them -change their minds.”’ etre da wee FROM PAGE 5 ‘PINE CONE Brushers need to keep the brush under control until the seedlings can compete themselves. In some areas the stand must be fill planted in areas that have failed or been chewed up by animals ar altacked by animals, “There is a number of natural factors out there that do damage te plantations. Occasionally areas that were naturally reseeded need to be tended for density. As-with pine trees, that naturally reseed after a fire. Sometimes the -seedlings will be too dense and therefore stagnate. Pruning. is uses to create stronger wood. that will be knot free and of higher value. Pinkerton’: © says, .~**after pruning and thinning the trees are penerally on their way." For. the forests that have been _ Slated for logging, the mill plans what timber will be cul, usually by the age of the tree. Just like every — living organism, .a tree has a lifespan and when it starts to get over mature it will be logged. “When a tree gets over mature bugs get in it and it becomes susceptible to forest fires. Clear-cutting replaces forest fires. We try to log before forest fires destroy it," "explains Rob King, foreman al Tahtsa Timber a contracted logging outfit. When the mill decides on all the details of how and what will be logged, the roads must be planned and buill. Then the whole operation must be orchestrated in order to run at optimum efficiency. Then the camp is set up and the machines are brought in. As time goes by, logging is constantly. being updated, In days gone by loggers fell trees on foot with chainsaws. Now, the operation ‘is fully mechanical and. many of the machines: are computerized cutling down the amount of waste and the time it takes to cut. and process logs substantially. ‘The logs are taken down by a mechanical faller and placed in piles’ of four or five, A skidder will comealong and stack the logs into bigger piles along the side of the road, making then accessible lo the processor. In order to maintain quality a bucker will cut off rough or rotten edges with a chainsaw. Next the processor, an ominous machine, will pick up a log, measure it, cut it into appropriate lengths and keep a record of haw much wood it has cut. It then spits the logs out ready to be loaded on to the trucks. A butt and topper transfers logs to the logging trucks se ems ‘making. sure to pile them efficiently and safely. In the logging industry, operators can be fined at any time for unsafe practices and that can become quite costly. The logging season generally lasts from August to March, closing during the spring and summer months due to the inaccessibility of the blocks. The machinery used is too heavy for soft and muddy . roads, But during the winter months, logging trucks will deliver two loads of processed wood io. the . awaiting . mill whereupon it) will, “be processed into usable lumber that will become bed frames, bathroom cupboards and wooden spoons. 1997 NORTHERN WOOD FORUM May 8-10, 1997 Williams Lake, B.C. 250-392-3626 e-mall: carcfdc@mallnetshop.net CL&RDGRAVEL TRUCKS ON THE WAY!