Abstract
Internationally forestry is recognized as encompassing some of the most physically demanding and hazardous jobs. While extensive research has been conducted in many advanced forestry areas, very little has been done in South Africa where a multi-ethnic manual work force has to operate in sub-optimal working and climatic conditions. This paper will present the findings of a preliminary investigation conducted on Chainsaw operators (Felling and Cross-cutting) and Stackers working in the tropical north of the country where ambient temperatures and humidity are high. The vast majority of these workers come from meagre living conditions with a very low nutritional intake and associated health problems all of which have a substantial negative impact on worker efficiency. The results reveal that with mean working heart rates and energy expenditures of 135 bt.min-1 (8.54 kcal.min-1) and 137 bt.min-1 (9.21 kcal.min-1) for the Chainsaw operators and Stackers respectively, the job requirements fall into the categories of ‘very heavy’ to ‘unduly heavy’ placing extreme stress on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems of these manual labourers, and showing a clear need for sound ergonomics intervention.
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