Increasing Productivity and Controlling of Work Fatigue in Forest Operations by Using Prescribed Active Pauses: a Selective Review

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses a selective review of the current work/rest schedule bibliography, and provides a theoretical model to be used to create work-rest schedules for forest workers. Forest machine and manual motor tool operators expose themselves to a variety of factors that may cause work fatigue. Prolonged fatigue may produce a variety of musculoskeletal disorders, decrease performance, and cause health problems. Pauses at work may provide time for physical recovery and for reduction of health hazards. Prescribed active pauses at work may help forest machine and manual motor tool operators to increase their net working time and to decrease commonly existing spontaneous and disguised pauses. Ten-minute active pauses may relieve forest operators from fatigue effects, provide time for recovery and maintain adaptation to work. The use of electromyography (EMG) accompanied by the use of the Checklist of Individual Strength questionnaire (CIS) would be the methodology for determining the validity and assessing the results of the above mentioned work/rest schedules in mechanized and motor-manual forest operations.