Effect of the body mass index and length of work on the stress of individual body parts of chainsaw operators

• Published in: Journal of forest science (Praha) Vol. 70; no. 8; pp. 436 - 445
• Main Authors: Staněk, Luboš, Mergl, Václav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Prague Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) 01.01.2024; Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Subjects: Body mass index; Body parts; Body size; Chain saws; ergonomics; forestry; Musculoskeletal diseases; musculoskeletal disorders (msd); Operators; Questionnaires; Statistical analysis; tree felling; workload
• ISSN: 1212-4834; 1805-935X
• DOI: 10.17221/26/2024-JFS

The subject of this study is to point out the issue of various impacts of musculoskeletal disorders in chainsaw operators and their impact on human health. The first goal was to find out whether the body mass index is responsible for excessive stress to individual parts of the body of chainsaw operators at work. The second goal was to determine whether the excessive load to the individual body parts is affected by the time of working with the chainsaw. Questionnaires created for the fulfilment of the goals were distributed to professional forest loggers working in the Czech Republic, which were filled in by 161 of them. Questions in the first part of the questionnaire were formulated in such a way that answers to them would clearly identify information on the individual respondents. The second part of the questionnaire was focused on the assessment of the load upon 12 body parts of the operators (each part being split into the right and left sides). The results of the statistical analysis showed that neither the body mass index (BMI) nor the length of time working with the chainsaw affect the load on the individual parts of the body of the chainsaw operators.