Volume 02, Number 1 Spring 2002

When accidents happen, be prepared

Minnesota loggers receive CPR and first-aid training at Logsafe seminars every year, to keep
their training levels current. One never knows when this training will help a logger work through
an accident. Logging is dangerous and, it goes without saying, even with extensive training,
accidents happen. With lives (and families) at stake, we need to be prepared.

To prepare products are packaged to keep

A first-aid kit is required on every them clean until usage. Gloves need
job. It should be clean, accessible to be worn to protect yourself from
(not buried under tools and trash direct body fluid contact. Burn
in the bed of the pickup) and well creams and the old-style snakebite
stocked. You should know what is kits are less useful. The current
in your first-aid kit,where it is and protocol for most burns is a sterile
how to use it. dressing. For snake bites, except in rare cases,
a constricting band is recommended, as opposed
First-aid kits should contain: 4"x 4" gauze pads; to the old “cut and suck” method.
at least two 8"x 10" gauze pads; a box of
adhesive bandages; one package of 2" gauze A major safety problem is the remote locations
roll bandages; two triangular bandages; a where loggers work. Cell phones have improved
wound cleaning agent, such as sealed moistened this situation, but only if you have service where
towelettes; scissors; at least one blanket; you are logging. If you do not have a cell phone
tweezers; adhesive tape; latex gloves; or other means of communication, know where
resuscitation equipment, such as a resuscitation the closest land-line phone is located. It might
bag airway or pocket mask; two elastic wraps; be the home of the landowner or his neighbor,
splints; and directions for emergency assistance. or it might be the store down the road. Most,
but not all, areas are covered by 911 service;
Feminine sanitary napkins also work fine to check to be sure so you will know where to
control bleeding in a trauma injury; these call. Be prepared, continued on page 3

Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry

443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155
The view from here
Notes from Ed LaFavor, LogSafe coordinator

All of us are familiar with the Sustainable Forestry

Initiative (SFI). Today, it is a major part of the
way timber is harvested throughout the country.
In its early years, the SFI focus was on the wood
manufacturing process and there was little effort
to enforce the harvesting part of the process. Most
loggers were using SFI guidelines for harvesting,
but not everyone.
Then pressure came from environmental groups to have SFI guidelines applied from stump to
the consumer. Now, to sell wood to most Minnesota mills, membership is required in the Minnesota
Logger Education Program, because its training courses cover SFI guidelines. SFI includes
many topics, such as wildlife, water quality, culture, ascetics, soil conservation and how to safely
harvest timber.
Besides the normal SFI items, such as best management practices about how to harvest timber,
many mills now audit the harvesting activity of the wood they purchase from a logging company.
Mills also audit safety issues, requiring all loggers who deliver wood to their mills to abide by the
OSHA Logging Operation Standard (29 CFR 1910.266) and train their foresters how to identify
safety problems.
Recently, I had a conversation with a Minnesota OSHA Compliance Officer about an inspection
of a logging company. During the inspection, an employee told the inspector that if she would
have been onsite a year earlier, “the violations would have been more severe and numerous.”
Due to a requirement by Potlatch Corporation, the logging company had corrected its deficiency
in safety, thus making a safer workplace and saving the company money, both in accident reduction
and OSHA penalties.
Other mills also require compliance with the OSHA Logging Operation Standard. I applaud
these companies for their concern about our safety in the woods. If they enforce water quality,
wetlands and wildlife concerns, then they should also make certain you Logsafe.

In July 2001, federal OSHA conducted a two-week class in Duluth, Minn., about sawmill and
logging operations. The 34 attendees represented OSHA compliance and consultation officers
and U.S. Forest Service personnel from across the nation. A special thanks to those Minnesota
companies that helped with this training: Potlatch Corporation, Rajala Lumber Company,
Johnson Timber Harvesting, Ernest Forest Products and McCabe Forest Products.
Be prepared, continued from page 1 ...
Whomever you send for help will need to know your exact location and the best route to get
there. One helpful tip is to write the directions and mileage from the closest town to your job
site. Other information that is useful to 911 dispatchers is the township, range and section of
your job site. Write this information on a card and leave it on the dash or sun visor of your truck.
This way, you can send someone else if you are the first-aid provider or the injured person.

A sign at the road entrance is not only good public relations, but it will also help responders find
you without delay. We are all very good at finding a job entrance, but a rescue worker might not
recognize that trail of bark, leaves and tire tracks as a worksite. If there are additional people at
your worksite, send someone to meet the rescue personnel. Depending on the severity of the
injury, you may be able to move the patient to a better location. This is an option only if you do
not suspect any spinal cord injuries.

When injuries occur

The most important thing you can do after contacting emergency services is to stay calm. You
my be ineffective if you lose your head and can’t even remember where your first-aid kit is. Of
equal importance, the patient will respond to your emotions. If you panic, the injured party may
panic as well. Keep your wits about you and provide positive reassurance to the patient. Helping
the patient stay calm will help offset the shock commonly associated with traumatic injuries.

The first step in treating the patient is a primary survey. Look for life threatening problems in this
order: airway, breathing, circulation, uncontrolled bleeding and level of consciousness. If
there is a problem in any of these areas, stop and correct it immediately.

Bleeding is a common situation with logging injuries and should be controlled first with direct
application of a pressure dressing. A sterile dressing is the first choice, but a shirt or cloth will
work if a sterile dressing is not available. Do not remove the first dressing if and when it becomes
saturated; keep adding dressings and apply firm pressure. If possible, elevate the wounded area
above the head of the injured person. Raising the patient’s feet and lowering the head will help
prevent shock.

A second approach to controlling bleeding is to apply pressure to a “pressure point” — any place
a vein or artery crosses a bone — to slow the blood flow. A tourniquet is the last resort, because
it damages nerves, blood vessels and uninjured tissues. If you need to resort to this, it should not
be made overly tight. A constricting band may decrease blood flow without harm. Increase the
pressure on your pressure dressing first.

Broken bones are another common injury. They should be splinted to reduce the chance of
further internal injury and the patient will be more comfortable if the broken bones are
immobilized. Your first-aid kit should include splints of some sort, but remember that pieces
of wood, even cardboard, will work. Many rescue squads and ski resorts actually use
cardboard splints on a regular basis. Remember to control any bleeding, pad the area and
immobilize the joints above and below the fractured area.

In general, any impaled object should not be removed, but bandaged in place (unless it causes an
airway obstruction). Be prepared, continued on page 4
Be prepared, continued from page 3 ...
Many times the field removal of an impaled object causes more harm from uncontrolled bleeding
and can result in the death of the patient.

For eye injuries, cover and bandage both eyes. This will limit reflex movement of both eyes.

Moving an injured person is always a risk. If you have any suspicion of head, neck or back
injuries, it is best to wait until trained responders arrive. However, it might be necessary to move
the person anyway, such as in the case of fire, leaking hazardous material or other life threatening
conditions. If such circumstances exist, support and immobilize the person to prevent movement
of the spine.

When help arrives

In most areas where we work, help will come in the form of a local volunteer rescue squad and fire
department.With most severe medical calls or ones in a remote location, both fire and rescue teams will
respond.

While firefighting equipment may not be needed, many fire

department personnel are trained as “first responders” and many
have emergency medical technician (EMT) training as well.They
will arrive on the scene first, possibly by private vehicle and are
trained to provide basic care and make a report to the EMT’s
responding with a squad. First responders can also make an
assessment as to the severity of the injury and request advanced life
support responders or even a medic helicopter if needed.

Firefighters might also assist with moving an injured person or help

free them from some form of entrapment. Remember that you will
generally have a much better knowledge of how a tree might move
if it is cut off a pinned worker or what it might take to free a person
from a piece of equipment. Don’t be afraid to offer advice or caution.

The responders will have a lot of questions: How did the accident
happen? Were there any witnesses? What is the patient’s medical
history? This history would include issues such as diabetes, heart
condition, current medications or allergic reactions to medications.
This information could be kept on a card for each worker, in your
first-aid kit or glovebox in the truck, in case the patient is unable to
provide information after the accident.

Logging is a dangerous profession, no matter how much safety we

practice. The key to successful treatment is training and preplanning.
Remember the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.” It saves lives.

This story was written by Jim Mooney and originally

appeared in the November/December 2001 edition of
Timber Harvesting magazine.
 Please affix
sufficient postage
here.

LogSafe
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
1754 Janet Lake Road
Hibbing, MN 55746

2002 Spring LogSafe seminars

March 27 Rochester National Guard Armory, 1715 Marion Rd SE
April 2 North Shore Grand Superior Lodge
(Castle Danger, 10 miles north of Two Harbors on Hwy. 61)
April 3 or 4* Eveleth Eveleth Inn (formerly Holiday Inn), Hwy. 53
April 9 Baudette Sportsman’s Lodge
April 10 International Falls Holiday Inn, Hwy. 71
April 11* Cloquet Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Road
April 16 or 17* Grand Rapids National Guard Armory, 930 NE 1st Ave
April 18 Cloquet Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Road
April 23 or 24 Bemidji National Guard Armory, 1430 23rd St. NW
April 25 Brainerd National Guard Armory, 1115 Wright St.
Note: Participants only have to attend one full-day seminar. Each seminar is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This free one-day event includes all training materials and lunch.
* Track 3 will not include severe-weather training on this date.
LogSafe agenda
There will be three tracks offered at each LogSafe session:
1. CPR and first-aid certification and recertification
— Two half-day sessions for first-time training or recertification (CPR training in the morning,
first-aid training in the afternoon.)

2. Chainsaw safety
— All-day session for new employees or for those who need a refresher about chainsaw safety,
chainsaw requirements and maintenance, personal protective equipment, safe felling
techniques and directional felling

3. SkyWarn training and logging safety training

— All-day session about severe-weather training, high-speed disc-saw safety, mechanized
logging safety and near-miss accidents
 LogSafe registration

Seminar date Location

Company ________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
City ________________________________________
State ZIP
Phone (_____)__________________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________
Photocopy form to register additional employees.
Please return by mail (see reverse side)
or send via fax at: (651) 284-5739.
This information can be made available in alternative formats by calling the Department
of Labor and Industry at 1-800-342-5354 or (651) 297-4198/TTY. If you need an
accommodation to enable you to fully participate in this event, please contact Ed LaFavor
at (218) 362-5915 or (651) 297-4198/TTY.
 Equipment fire prevention
The following 15 fire prevention steps to protect logging equipment from fires was published
in Timber/West magazine. Observing these steps can prevent a dangerous and expensive fire.
1. Perform daily and routine maintenance and service as recommended by the manufacturer.

2. Use only qualified operators who have been trained to use fire suppression equipment
properly.

3. Maintain good housekeeping. Clean out the engine and mechanical compartments of
debris daily. Remove the belly pan and side shields to clean debris. Steam clean or
pressure wash whenever possible.

4. Inspect, repair or replace battery cables and connections, electrical wiring connections
and components weekly.

5. Avoid overheating by maintaining and regularly servicing the engine and hydraulic cooling
system.

6. Do not store flammable items in the operators compartment.

7. Do not transport flammable liquids on logging machines.

8. At shutdown, engage battery disconnect switch.

9. Shut off engine during fueling. No smoking within 50 feet of fueling area.

10. To minimize the spread of fire, keep logging machines separated while parked and shut
down. Clear shutdown area of debris.

11. Watch machines for fire 15 to 20 minutes after shutdown.

12. Reduce debris accumulation by maintaining all protective shields, screens, belly pans and
covers.

13. Clean fuel, oil and grease spills immediately.

14. Clean areas to be welded and have a supply of water available when welding. Keep a fire
extinguisher nearby whenever welding is being done.

15. Maintain a fully charged fire extinguisher on each logging machine.

 Minnesota OSHA Offices
St. Paul 1-877-470-OSHA
443 Lafayette Road N. (651)
284-5050
St. Paul, MN 55155
Duluth (218) 723-4678
5 N. Third Ave. W.
Suite 402
Duluth, MN 55802
Mankato (507) 389-6501
410 Jackson St., #520
Mankato, MN 56001

Workplace Safety 1-800-657-3776 Safety grant trims costs

Consultation (651) 284-5060 David Hughes Logging, Kelliher, Minn., brought a
300 Logs/posters (651) 284-5042 delimber in November 2001, with the assistance of a
$10,000 safety grant from the Minnesota Department of
Fed publications (202) 219-4667 Labor and Industry.

MN Rules (651) 297-3000 Safety grants are limited to $10,000 a project. The
1-800-652-9747 employer must provide at least $1 in project costs for
every dollar awarded. Grant applications are accepted
Workers’ Comp 1-800-DIAL-DLI any time and awarded on a monthly basis.
Hotline 1-800-342-5354
For more information or to request a grant application
Logsafe Program (218) 362-5915 visit http://www.doli.state.mn.us/wsc.html or call
Address: (651) 284-5162 or 1-800-731-7232.
Logsafe Program LogSafe is a publication of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Its
purpose is to help the logging industry establish and maintain safe and healthy
1754 Janet Lake Road
work environments. This newsletter can be made available in alternative formats
Hibbing, MN 55746 by calling 1-800-DIAL-DLI or (651) 297-4196/TTY.

LogSafe Newsletter 8 Spring 2002

Prsrt Std
US Postage
Communications Office PAID
443 Lafayette Road N. Permit No 171
St. Paul, MN 55155 St. Paul, MN