Exploring chainsaw operator occupational exposure to carbon monoxide in forestry

Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) emitted by chainsaws can negatively impact health in forestry workers. This exploratory study measures CO concentration within the breathing zone of chainsaw operators during motor-manual operations, and discusses the potential influences on CO exposure levels. A CO monitoring instrument was paired with a concurrent video recording of task activities to enable correlation of exact working operations to critical exposure levels. Multiple streams of meteorological data were also collected from sensors worn by the eight professional tree fellers/log makers. Time-weighted averages were applied to investigate levels of CO exposure during a nominal 1-hr monitoring period. The differing task demands and environment were found to influence worker exposure to CO, supporting previous research. Pending further investigation, a number of possible actions are recommended to reduce observed high exposure levels and/or emission concentration.