New Ergonomic Guidelines for Forest Machines

Abstract

A new ergonomic guideline handbook to the design and assessment of forest machines has just been completed in the Nordic countries. The old guide had for many years helped improve the machine operators’ awareness of good design and assisted manufacturers in developing new equipment. However, future forestry work will put new demands on the operator. There is a need to release the planning and assessing the quality aspects of the work task. There is also a need to make communication and decision aids easier to use, as well as improving the design of the operators’ work place.