Physiological demands of forest harvesting tasks: A case study of skidding operations

In spite of increased mechanisation, forest harvesting tasks continue to place moderate to heavy physiological demands on employees. A work-heart-rate study of skidder operators in the southern United States during summer months is reported. The study illustrates how data may be obtained without interference with production and the uses of the data for documenting task difficulty and evaluating different work methods. The potential use of work physiology data for harvesting worker selection is indicated although the study data were not entirely successful on this point.