Intent to Adopt Location Sharing for Logging Safety Applications

Logging entails work in remote areas with multiple hazards and consistently ranks among the most fatal occupations in the United States. Location-sharing (LS) devices that enable users to communicate geographic positions to others have been suggested as a technological approach to improving workplace safety on logging operations. This study investigated logger intent to adopt LS-based safety practices. Employing concepts from the Theory of Planned Behavior, including intent, attitude, norms, and perceived behavioral control, we surveyed Idaho loggers at three logger training programs. We evaluated their likelihood of using LS devices on logging operations and examined factors associated with LS adoption. The results showed that Idaho loggers are likely to use (a) automatic position updates for hand fallers, (b) LS devices on all ground workers and heavy equipment, and (c) LS technology for general situational awareness. Participants also recognized specific safety benefits to LS, particularly for emergency situations, such as communicating the need for help or expediting the discovery of injured coworkers. Our findings support further development of LS technology for logging safety, particularly devices and applications that facilitate injury response for isolated workers, such as hand fallers

Human Factors Affecting Logging Injury Incidents in Idaho and the Potential for Real-Time Location-Sharing Technology to Improve Safety

Human factors, including inadequate situational awareness, can contribute to fatal and near-fatal traumatic injuries in logging, which is among the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Real-time location-sharing technology may help improve situational awareness for loggers. We surveyed and interviewed professional logging contractors in Idaho to (1) characterize current perceptions of in-woods hazards and the human factors that lead to injuries; (2) understand their perspectives on using technology-based location-sharing solutions to improve safety in remote work environments; and (3) identify logging hazard scenarios that could be mitigated using location-sharing technology. We found production pressure, fatigue, and inexperience among the most-common factors contributing to logging injuries from the perspective of participants. Potential limitations of location-sharing technology identified included potential for distraction and cost. Contractors identified several situations where the technology may help improve safety, including (1) alerting workers of potential hand-faller injuries due to lack of movement; (2) helping rigging crews to maintain safe distances from yarded trees and logs during cable logging; and (3) providing a means for equipment operators to see approaching ground workers, especially in low-visibility situations

Positioning Methods and the Use of Location and Activity Data in Forests

In this paper, we provide an overview of positioning systems for moving resources in forest and fire management and review the related literature. Emphasis is placed on the accuracy and range of different localization and location-sharing methods, particularly in forested environments and in the absence of conventional cellular or internet connectivity. We then conduct a second review of literature and concepts related to several emerging, broad themes in data science, including the terms location-based services (LBS), geofences, wearable technology, activity recognition, mesh networking, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. Our objective in this second review is to inform how these broader concepts, with implications for networking and analytics, may help to advance natural resource management and science in the future. Based on methods, themes, and concepts that arose in our systematic reviews, we then augmented the paper with additional literature from wildlife and fisheries management, as well as concepts from video object detection, relative positioning, and inventory-tracking that are also used as forms of localization. Based on our reviews of positioning technologies and emerging data science themes, we present a hierarchical model for collecting and sharing data in forest and fire management, and more broadly in the field of natural resources. The model reflects tradeoffs in range and bandwidth when recording, processing, and communicating large quantities of data in time and space to support resource management, science, and public safety in remote areas. In the hierarchical approach, wearable devices and other sensors typically transmit data at short distances using Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or ANT wireless, and smartphones and tablets serve as intermediate data collection and processing hubs for information that can be subsequently transmitted using radio networking systems or satellite communication. Data with greater spatial and temporal complexity is typically processed incrementally at lower tiers, then fused and summarized at higher levels of incident command or resource management. Lastly, we outline several priority areas for future research to advance big data analytics in natural resources