Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Forestry and Environmental Conservation
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Patrick Hiesl
Committee Member
Dr. Nilesh Timilsina
Committee Member
Dr. Donald Hagan
Abstract
The Southern United States accounts for about 40% of the productive timberland of the country and is known as the wood basket of the United States. Timber logging is an important contributor to South Carolina’s economy. Feller-buncher, skidder and loader operators play a vital role in the timber industry of South Carolina. However, their job is far from easy, especially as there are only a few members of a logging crew. They have to operate complex heavy machinery in challenging terrains while ensuring the efficient harvesting of timber, which demands extraordinary skills, precision, and better decision-making, leading to excessive mental and physical strain. Fire management also plays an important role in forest management in South Carolina. The forest fire professionals, including private contractors, state/federal agency personnel, or landowners, have to work under demanding conditions for long hours while controlling and fighting fires. In this study, the subjective workload of both forest equipment operators and forest fire professionals was studied utilizing the NASA Task Load Index. In addition, we observed the heart rate of equipment operators to study the activities causing excessive physical and mental workload. Our findings indicated that there is no significant difference in the overall workload of equipment operators working at clearcut and thinning sites. The workload dimensions of Effort and Frustration contributed the most to the overall workload, while Performance had the least contribution to the overall workload of the logging equipment operators. Sudden heart rate spikes occurred when operators conducted physical activities such as clearing debris from a felling head, trimming branches from the logs loaded to the log truck or loading logs to the log truck. For the forest fire professionals, there was no statistically significant difference in the self-reported workload of the fire workers working in prescribed fires and wildfires. When all workload data were combined, the workload dimensions of Effort, Physical Demand, and Mental Demand contributed the most to the overall workload, while Performance contributed the least. A high workload of forest fire professionals will eventually lead to an increased risk of accidents and a reduction in productivity. Understanding and managing workload is not only about ensuring the health and happiness of our workforce, but it's also about safeguarding the sustainability of our timber resources.
Keywords: Mental Workload, Physical Workload, NASA TLX, Heart Rate, Forest Operations, Wildfire, Prescribed Fire
Recommended Citation
Mapatunage, Hasini L. M., "Evaluation of Subjective and Objective Workload of Forestry Professionals" (2024). All Theses. 4359.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4359