Chapter 9

The forest harvesting workforce

WHAT IT IS

The forest harvesting workforce includes two components: management and labour.

Management

Forest harvesting operations require effective management and administration, just like any other business. Personnel for large-scale industrial forest harvesting operations will normally include managers, administrative and support staff, planners and engineers and supervisors.

Labour

The workers who actually carry out the harvesting operations include field supervisors and foremen, forestry and engineering technicians, machine operators and their assistants, mechanics who repair and maintain machinery and manual workers.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Although forest harvesting is increasingly machine-intensive, labour remains the most critical element for determining whether harvesting operations achieve the goals described in this model code of forest harvesting practice. If workers are to contribute effectively to these goals, they must be healthy, competent to carry out their jobs as expected and motivated to do the work properly and efficiently.

Effective work units have three important characteristics: they are well organized, the workers are healthy and motivated, and everyone in the organization knows his or her job and how to do it efficiently and safely.

The goals of managers, supervisors and workers should be aligned as much as possible so that they are mutually reinforcing.

All employees should enjoy satisfactory living and working conditions and preferably should be provided with stable employment throughout the year.

Special attention must be paid to safety in view of the potentially high risks inherent in timber harvesting. All operations, whether carried out by government employees or by private companies or contractors, should comply with the national labour standards.

Safety and efficiency can be complementary - the key is to do the job in the best way, rather than always striving for the highest level of output.

Three things are essential if workers are to apply correctly the principles outlined in this model code of forest harvesting practice:

• they must know what is to be done;
• they must know how to do it properly;
• they must be motivated to do it in the proper way.

Financial incentives can be very effective motivators. Where possible, such incentives should reward safe, effective work rather than being based solely on production.

Good work should also be acknowledged with non-financial awards; recognition from a worker's peers, for example, can be highly motivating.

Workers should be made to feel that their contributions are important and that by doing a good job they can contribute to a better environment. One way of accomplishing this is to provide training in the ecological basis of forestry so that workers will understand better the reasons for using practices that reduce environmental impacts.

When forest harvesting operations are undertaken in remote areas it is essential that clean, attractive housing is provided. Small but fully satisfactory houses provide a positive incentive to workers (above). Poor-quality housing is unhygienic, unattractive to workers with families and unsafe - note the oil drum and other refuse nearby (below) (Photos by Kicki Johansson)

OBJECTIVES

• Managers should set goals, allocate resources, coordinate work and ensure compliance with the organization's policies.
• Administrative staff should take care of facilities such as housing and offices, maintain records and accounts and perform clerical work.
• Planning staff should carry out the activities that are necessary for the preparation and updating of forest management and harvesting plans.
• Engineers should ensure the smooth operation and maintenance of tools and machines, and should design, construct and maintain roads and other structures.
• Supervisors should oversee the actual harvesting operations and monitor production to meet goals established in the forest management and harvesting plans.
• Under the supervision of the foremen, the labourers are actually responsible for carrying out the harvesting operations. They should carry out the prescribed operations efficiently and effectively; abide by safety regulations and environmental requirements; avoid damage to remaining trees and regeneration; and use and maintain equipment and tools properly.

POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF AN INADEQUATE WORKFORCE

An inadequate workforce can result in:

• poor organizational management, as evidenced by poorly set goals, improper allocation of resources, lack of coordination and failure of the work to conform to the organization's policies;
• improperly administered facilities or unreliable records and accounts;
• inadequate or incorrect planning;
• improperly designed and constructed roads and other facilities;
• unsuitable, unsafe and poorly maintained tools and machines;
• lack of supervisory control, with consequent failure to achieve the production goals specified in the management and harvesting plans;
• high levels of timber losses;
• excessive damage to remaining trees, regeneration and environmental values such as soils and streams;
• reduced service life and high repair costs for equipment;
• low labour and machine productivity and high production costs;
• high accident rates;
• a dissatisfied workforce and high labour turnover.

RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

• All personnel should be adequately trained for the job, and this training should include skill development, health and safety and environmental topics.
• Machine operators and cutters should undergo skill testing and be awarded a certificate of competence.
• Operations should be based on clearly established safety regulations. Workers should be provided with basic first-aid training, and provision should be made for the quick evacuation of workers to medical facilities in the event of serious injury.
• Personal protective equipment should be provided to workers, and they should be taught how to use it, how to maintain it and what it will do for them.
• Safety inspections should be carried out at regular intervals.
• All accidents with injury or equipment damage should be reported in writing on standardized forms. Serious accidents should be investigated immediately and preventive measures taken to avoid similar accidents in the future.
• Basic ergonomic requirements should be considered, including workplace layout, design of machines and tools, working techniques, working time, rest patterns and nutrition.
• Adequate standards of comfort, sanitation, food and welfare are essential. Workers should also be given opportunities for a satisfying social life outside working-hours, especially in situations where company housing or camp facilities are provided.
• In situations where workers have no other access to medical care and social services such as schools for their dependants, these should be provided by the employer.
• Social security should meet the general conditions prevailing in the country. Workers should be adequately compensated in the event of an accident.
• Fair wages should be negotiated with the workers' representatives. If possible, stable employment should be provided, with priority given to members of local communities.
• Relations between labour and management should be based on regular consultation, consensus and fairness on both sides.