Logging
Overview
By many measures, logging is the most dangerous occupation in the United States. The tools and equipment such as chain saws and logging machines pose hazards wherever they are used. As loggers use their tools and equipment, they deal with massive weights and irresistible momentum of falling, rolling, and sliding trees and logs. The hazards are more acute when dangerous environmental conditions are factored in, such as uneven, unstable or rough terrain; inclement weather including rain, snow, lightning, winds, and extreme cold and/or remote and isolated work sites where health care facilities are not immediately accessible.
The combination of these hazards present a significant risk to employees working in logging operations throughout the country, regardless of the type of timber being logged, where it is logged, or the end use of the wood.
Standards
Exposures to hazards in logging are addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry.
Hazard Recognition
Highlights safety practices for all types of logging, regardless of the end use of the wood.
Additional Resources
Provides links and references to additional resources related to logging.
- Crushed by Carriage during Skyline-Skidding Operation. OSHA Fatal Fact No. 14, (2016). Describes how one worker died while working as a chokersetter, when the skyline lost tension and caused the carriage to fall.
- Potential Hazards of Mislabeled Steel Toe Logger Boots. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin, (September 30, 2004). Alerts employers and employees of the potential electrical hazards of Georgia Boot's mislabeled steel toe logger boots; to provide Georgia Boot customers with the manufacturer's recall instructions for the subject boots; and to remind users of OSHA's requirements for electrical protective equipment as covered by 29 CFR 1910.137.
- Logging. OSHA eTool. Provides expert assistance for businesses and workers seeking to comply with OSHA's logging standard. Logging procedures are examined, OSHA regulations explained, and links are provided to the specific sections of the standard.