Retrospective Risk Assessment of Injuries and Fatalities in the Forestry and Logging Workforce in the United States, 2003-2019

ABSTRACT

Objectives

The objectives of this study on the forestry and logging workforce are to: 1) Analyze causes of injuries/fatalities to inform future intervention studies focused on risk mitigation, 2) determine whether there are any trends or associations between work-related risk factors and workplace injuries/fatalities over a 16-year period (2003–2019), and 3) identify knowledge gaps related to injuries and fatalities for future studies to address.

Methods

Data on fatalities, injuries, and illnesses of the forestry and logging workforce from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics were analyzed. Correlation analysis (p < .05) was conducted to assess the relationship between causes of forestry and logging workforce fatalities by cause of fatality in the United States. Injury and fatality rates were calculated for each year (fatalities: 2003–2018; injuries: 2005–2019) and time span-specific incidence rates were calculated by cause.

Results

Contact with objects and equipment was the primary cause of injuries and fatalities in the forestry and logging workforce during the study period. Transportation-related incidents ranked second as the cause of fatalities, while the category of falls, slips, and trips was the second leading cause of injuries.

Conclusion

Gaps in occupational health and safety identified by this study should be collaboratively addressed by researchers and the forestry industry.

KEYWORDS:

• Forester
• logger
• occupational health and safety

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Hui Bian for help with statistical analyses. We appreciate the helpful comments of three reviewers that helped improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The summary data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [SR].

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2024.2325708

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Central Agricultural Regional Education and Research Center CDC/NIOSH-funded training program led by the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University.