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The aim of the paper is to analyse the effect of key factors affecting the risk of workplace injuries and to identify the most common workplace accidents regarding injured body parts with respect to anthropometric data measurements of the population. Data associated with workplace accidents over the years 2000–2016 were drawn from the records of the state enterprise Forests of the Slovak Republic, situated in Banská Bystrica. Gathered data were processed and entered into the database complemented by the data on accidents of the self-employed working in the forestry industry. A total of 1874 workplace accidents in the state enterprise were recorded and statistically evaluated during the analysis period. A method for contingency table was used to analyse correlation between qualitative (categorical) variables in the dataset. A Poisson regression model was used to determine the injury rate. Forest harvesting is considered the most risky phase of the process of harvesting, processing, and transport. The highest number of workplace accidents (31.8% of all recorded workplace accidents) occurred during the forest harvesting phase during the analysis period. Timber skidding, with 16% of recorded accidents, was the second highest-risk phase. The workplace injury rate in the forest industry in Slovakia decreased over the course of the years 2000–2016. Head and facial injuries were those with the highest rate (67.1% injuries of these body parts) during the phase of harvesting and skidding.

Soil disturbance and compaction are inherent in ground-based harvesting operations. These changes are affected by numerous factors, related mainly to the technical parameters of the machines, soil conditions, and the technology used. This study aimed to analyze the changes of surface layers of soil caused by skidder traffic without loads on the Cambisols of Western Carpathians. We observed changes in the soil bulk density and penetration resistance. The results showed that only machine traffic caused a 0.32 to 0.35 (g cm−3) increase in soil bulk density. Besides machine traffic, bulk density was affected by soil moisture content. Penetration resistance of soil increased by 0.15 to 1.04 (MPa) after traffic of 40 machines. Penetration resistance showed a lower increase after traffic, and regression and correlation analysis proved a relationship between penetration resistance, skeleton content, and penetration depth, besides the number of machine passes (r = 0.33–0.55). Observing the changes in the physical properties of soils caused by machine traffic allows for a more detailed view of the effects of forest harvesting machinery on forest soils.

Forest roads are necessary to provide access to forests and are also used by users other than forest owners and the timber industry. Their usage for recreation and hiking has been increasing in the last years. From 1/2020 to 12/2020, we performed research on traffic loads and the use of forest roads at an area of the University Forest Enterprise of Technical University in Zvolen. For this purpose, we selected two localities, namely Včelien = A locality and Štagiar = B locality. We monitored transport intensity at selected localities with images obtained from two identical Trail Spromise S308 cameras. We examined the impact of lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemics on forest recreation in the year 2020 with the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA. Multiple comparisons of p values showed there were no differences in the recreational usage of forest roads between the lockdown periods and periods without restrictions. We found that recreation activities peaked in summer and spring. Recreation and transport at selected localities did not have a negative impact on animal occurrence, as the regression and correlation analysis revealed only a low negative relationship with r = 0.029. When considering the number of passages, roads were used for recreation and other non-forestry purposes at approximately 36%. From the perspective of the weight load, recreation accounted for about 10%.

Aim of study: This study is focused on detailed analysis of accidents in yarding during the years 2006-2014. There is still not enough information about such accidents in Central Europe in the literature available.Area of study: We collected the data on occupational accidents recorded in timber yarding from the databases of the Slovak state forest enterprise.Material and Methods: The data on occupational accidents were recorded according to actual European Regulation, the form of the record meets the requirements of the ESAW (European Statistics on Accidents at Work) methodology. To analyze the data, we used the multiple regression and correlation analysis, contingency tables, and a χ 2 -test. Main results: Almost half of the accidents were the foot injuries and the most frequent type of injury was fracture of a bone. The most hazardous operation was yarding. Most of the accidents occurred between 13 01 -14 00 h (22 %). The most frequent agent causing accidents were Particles, dust, splinters, fragments, etc. (14.05 by ESAW).Research highlights: This study informs about the most important risk factors in timber yarding, the most hazardous parts of shift, as well as the days when the most accidents occur during the week, and as such contributes to better understanding of how the accidents happen in timber yarding. The information can be subsequently used in knowledge-based improvement of safety trainings in forest enterprises.Keywords: cable yarder; timber logging; work accident.Correspondence should be addressed to Michal Ferenčík: ferencik@tuzvo.skFunding: This paper was financed by VEGA project number 1/0783/15 "Prediction and projection of risks of soil disturbance by forest harvesting as a basis for temporal and spatial planning of forest maintenance in the conditions of climate change.

Abstract. From the aspect of safety at work, we consider the timber transport under the risky works. Data about accidents at work in forestry for the period 1996 -2014 were summarized. The database contained more than 1500 work accidents in forestry. Laboratory Accident Coding Methodology was used, according to European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW). In total, 105 registered work accidents in timber transport, during the investigated period, were recorded. This correspond to 7% share of registered work accidents. From the anthropological aspect, the legs and whole body were most frequently injured. The highest number of accidents on Tuesday were recorded, with the most risk month of February. The highest accident rate in 2002 were recorded. In general, forestry is classified as a risky activity. The timber harvesting and transport process belongs to the most risky works, from the aspect of the risk formation on the work accident, which are in forestry conducted. From all phases, which are in this process involved, the phase of timber transport is the least risky, in terms of the risk rate on accident formation as well as the absolute abundance of accidents.

Deadwood is an important component of forests that fulfils many ecosystem functions. The occurrence, amount and spatial distribution of deadwood in forest ecosystems depend on tree species composition, historical development and past management. In this presented study, we assessed the total amount of deadwood, including fine and coarse woody debris at five areas of predominantly broadleaved forests within the University Forest Enterprise of the Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia that had been disturbed by windstorm Žofia in 2014. Windthrown wood was salvaged between May 2014 and October 2015. In the year 2018, we performed an inventory of deadwood that remained on-site after salvage logging. The mean volume of deadwood recorded at sample plots fluctuated between 35.96 m3/ha and 176.06 m3/ha and mean deadwood coverage values at individual disturbed areas ranged from 7.27 to 17.91%. In the work, we derived several models for the estimation of deadwood volume based on deadwood coverage and/or diameter, which showed that these characteristics are good proxies of deadwood volume. The tests, involving close-range photogrammetry methods for deadwood quantification, revealed that the number of pieces and the coverage of deadwood recorded in photos was significantly lower than the values derived from field measurements.

The aim of the paper is to identify the most common workplace accidents regarding injured body parts with respect to anthropometric data measurements of the population in the Slovak republic. Data from workplace accidents database over the years 2000-2017 were drawn from the records of the Slovak Forest state enterprise. The highest number of workplace accidents (31.7% of all recorded workplace accidents) occurred during the forest harvesting phase. Timber skidding with 15.9% of recorded accidents was the second highest risky phase. In four phases Timber harvesting, timber skidding,Works at conversion depot, Repairs and maintenance was 76% from all injuries in forestry state enterprises was occurred. Nonsignificant increase in the injury rate over the years 2000-2017 was determined in the analysis of the injury rate in the Slovak state forests. From the point of view of the longterm changing anthropometric parameters of the adult population, it is also necessary to take into account the ergonomic parameters and the technological procedures of the performed work and the working environment.