A new device for reducing winching cost and worker effort in steep terrain operations

Natascia Magagnotti; Giovanna Aalmob Ottaviani; Mark W Brown; Raffaele Spinelli

doi:10.1080/02827581.2015.1133845

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A new device for reducing winching cost and worker effort in steep terrain operations

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

A new device for reducing winching cost and worker effort in steep terrain operations

Natascia Magagnotti, Giovanna Aalmob Ottaviani, Mark W Brown and Raffaele Spinelli

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Vol.31(6), pp.602-610

2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2015.1133845

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Abstract

ergonomics

logging

heart rate

harvesting

coppice

Winching is among the most common logging techniques in small-scale forestry, but it is inefficient and hard on the operators. The authors conducted a comparative test to determine the benefits of introducing an auxiliary winch that automatically returned the winch cable to the loading site. Such device would make it unnecessary for a crew member to walk down to the winch and pull the cable back to the loading site. The tests were conducted in central Italy, on the Tuscan hills. The study involved six volunteers, who were meant to cover a wide range of age and physical fitness characteristics and were considered representative of the regional logging workforce. Physiological workload was determined by measuring the operators' heart rate for a half-day individual work session. Performance was determined by stop-watching all winching cycles, with and without the auxiliary winch. The auxiliary winch improved the efficiency of downhill winching, allowing operation by two workers only, instead of three. Winching cost decreased between 20 and 35%, while physiological workload decreased between 7 and 30%, depending on the operator.

Details

Title: A new device for reducing winching cost and worker effort in steep terrain operations
Authors: Natascia Magagnotti (Author) - CNR - IVALSA, Italy
Giovanna Aalmob Ottaviani (Author) - Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute, Norway
Mark W Brown (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
Raffaele Spinelli (Author) - CNR - IVALSA, Italy
Publication details: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Vol.31(6), pp.602-610
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Scandinavia
Date published: 2016
DOI: 10.1080/02827581.2015.1133845
ISSN: 0282-7581
Copyright note: Copyright © 2016 The Author. This is an electronic version of an article published in Natascia Magagnotti, Giovanna Ottaviani Aalmob, Mark Brown & Raffaele Spinelli (2015): A new device for reducing winching cost and worker effort in steep terrain operations, Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, DOI: 10.1080/02827581.2015.1133845. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0282-7581&volume=31&issue=6&spage=602
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449188402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Forestry

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