Ergonomic initiatives for machine operators by the Swedish logging industry

In 1994, the Swedish Work Environment Authority (SWEA) considered to regulate the amount of working hours in a logging machine in order to force an increased use of job rotation. Occupational neck and shoulder disorders had been threatening machine operators' health ever since the late 1970s. Representatives of the logging industry argued that detailed regulations would not solve the problem. SWEA agreed to shelve the matter for 2 years and industry promised to take necessary measures. In 1996, the Labour Inspectorate investigated the industry's ergonomic initiatives. They found that awareness in combating health problems had increased. However, there was a gap between awareness and the ability to carry out improvements. In 1999, SWEA decided not to regulate working hours but strongly recommended the work teams to use job rotation. A minor follow-up in the year 2000 found work teams with both high production and low health risk, but also more specialised teams.