Introduction: Forestry is one of the riskiest businesses since accidents in forest work are inevitable. After the extensive ice storm in 2014 the number of accidents in Slovenian forests has skyrocketed, mainly due to numerous unskilled workers doing work they lack experience for in the conditions forests are in after this natural catastrophe.
Aim: The aim of the thesis has been to analyse the frequency and the difficulty of forest work accidents. The roles of prevention, training, and providing first aid in time in such cases were analysed. Based on the collected data we would like to design a suitable first aid kit to take timely and suitable measures in case of forest work accidents.
Methods: The descriptive method using a critical analysis of the written resources was conducted in making this thesis. Searching for data was also term-limited, from 2005 to 2016. The research included literature in Slovene and English languages, the keywords used were: in English - first aid, work injuries AND woods, forestry accident, injuries, first aid kit, safe work in the woods, in Slovene - prva pomoč (first aid), poškodbe IN gozd ALI gozdar (injuries AND forest OR forester), poškodbe IN delo (injuries AND work) in the Medline databases, CINAHL with full text and COBISS.si. The data on accidents at work in the forest would we get in the Slovenian Forest Service and its resources.
Results: The number of fatalities among non-professional forest workers has skyrocketed after the 2014 ice storm, whereas the amount of wood removed from the forest must be considered, too. In 2014 the number of forest accidents connected to removing the fallen trees increased considerably, too. A very important factor in the analysis is the timing of the accidents happening. Most of them took place between 10 and 11 am, or between 3 and 4 pm. It can be attributed to tiredness and lack of concentration at work. Raising awareness among amateur foresters of the value and effectiveness of using protection gear is also a vital factor on this issue. Doing this many severe injuries at forest work can be prevented.
Discussion and conclusion: After natural disasters like the ice storms the forests and their character change considerably, thus the possibilities for injuries among workers increase immensely. In case of an injury effective and quick first aid assistance is vital, but it can only be provided with suitable knowledge and a first aid kit that supports the nature of forest work and consequent injuries properly. The best possible measure to prevent injuries among forest workers certainly remains changing the mindset and attitude to this type of work. It can be achieved by working hard on prevention activities, raising awareness among amateur foresters, and education.
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