Forest activities

Overview

Forest activities applies to forestry, logging, and support activities. Oregon OSHA’s Division 7 forest activity rules cover the safety and health requirements for all forest activity work, including:

Applying chemicals
Chipping
Clearing and slash disposal
Constructing, maintaining, and decommissioning forest roads
Log dumps, ponds, log yards, and sort yards
Log hauling
Marking
Prescribed fire burning
Pulpwood and non-pulpwood logging
Reforestation and vegetation management
Stream restoration
Timber cutting and thinning operations
Timber cruising
Tree climbing activities
Wildland fire suppression

All available content

Publications

Brochures/Guides
- Machines used in forest activities
  The Associated Oregon Loggers and Oregon OSHA have provided this handout to summarize important Division 7, Subdivision H, requirements for protective structures on all cab-designed machines used in forest activities, and includes effective dates.
  English 06/11/2014
- Radio-tone-controlled device permit application
  An application for a permit to operate a radio-tone device of whistle or carriage function.
  English Area Map 08/19/2005
- Yarding and loading handbook
  Focuses on skyline yarding as the most common type of logging operation in Oregon, assuming steep terrain and use of a yarder tower and cable system.
  English 06/25/2010
- Yarding logging safety - Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
  Covers safety hazards and injury prevention in Oregon logging operations; describes 18 fatalities associated with rigging, landing, maintenance, skidding machinery, helicopter logging and transportation.
  English 10/21/2010
Cards
- Cold stress card
  Tarjeta de estrés por el frío
  Describes the symptoms of frostbite and hypothermia, with instructions on how to help sufferers.
  English / Spanish Order printed copy 08/19/2005
- Forest Activities Publications and Rules
  Offers QR codes for viewing 4 forest-related publications and 2 rules.
  English 05/15/2024
- Forest activities reference card
  Laminated pocket guide outlines the responsibilities and duties of a safety and health management program.
  English Order printed copy 01/20/2017
- Heat stress card
  Tarjeta de estrés por el calor
  Describes the symptoms of heat stress and heat stroke, with instructions on how to help sufferers.
  English / Spanish Order printed copy 06/30/2022
- Tarjeta de consulta de actividades forestales
  Forest activities reference card
  Esta tarjeta resume las responsabilidades y los deberes de un programa de administración de seguridad e hygiene.
  Spanish Order printed copy
- Training for safe and effective logging techniques
  Laminated 4x5 1/2" cards that cover safe practices for logging.
  English Order printed copy 02/14/2008
Fact sheets
- Protection From Wildfire Smoke Rules Key Requirements
  Fact sheet describing the key requirements of Oregon OSHA’s permanent rules for protection from wildfire smoke, effective July 1, 2022. In May 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency modified the calculation for AQI. The requirements based on PM2.5 concentrations in the Oregon OSHA wildfire smoke rules are not changing. For more information, please see the guidance document https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/comments/comments-and-decisions-AO4-2022-wildfire-smoke.pdf
  English Guidance document 06/06/2024
- Requisitos clave: reglas para la protección contra el humo causado por los incendios forestales
  Protection From Wildfire Smoke Rules Key Requirements
  Hoja informativa que describe los requisitos clave de las reglas permanentes de la OSHA de Oregón para la protección contra el humo de los incendios forestales, vigentes a partir del 1 de julio de 2022. En mayo de 2024, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU. modificó el cálculo del AQI. Los requisitos basados en las concentraciones de PM2.5 en las normas sobre humo de incendios forestales de la OSHA de Oregón no cambian. Para obtener más información, consulte el documento de orientación https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/comments/comments-and-decisions-AO4-2022-wildfire-smoke.pdf
  Spanish Guidance document 06/10/2024
Forms
- Forest activities sample program
  Form with a sample Written Safety and Health Program - Forest Activities.
  English Word version 03/30/2012
Hazard alerts
- Chain Shot Logging Hazard
  Hazard alert on the use of high speed chain cutting systems on mechanized harvesting and processing machines that can expose the operators and others to a potentially lethal hazard of chain shot.
  English 11/09/2022
- Rigging - hazards caused by crowding
  Hazard alert on how to prevent accidents caused by crowding the rigging.
  English 02/21/2025
- Securing log loads when binders and wrappers are removed
  A log truck driver was seriously injured when he was struck by a log that fell from his load as he was removing the wrappers at a log yard. When binders and wrappers are properly in place, the risk of logs falling off of the load is eliminated.
  English 08/06/2019
- Wildland firefighting face masks
  Hazard alert about the dangers of using face protectors, shield hoods, shrouds, and bandanas that are commonly used in fighting wildland fires; however, they do not supply fresh air or oxygen, they don’t protect against carbon monoxide or other contaminants, and they don’t take the place of a respirator.
  English Order printed copy 02/14/2023
Posters
- Cartel de la silvicultura - Protéjase de los pesticidas
  Forestry poster - Protect yourself from pesticides
  Describes how forest activities workers can protect themselves from pesticides. Meets the posting requirements for the Worker Protection Standard. - | - Describe cómo los trabajadores de las actividades forestales puedan protegerse de los pesticidas. Cumple con los requisitos por El Estándar de La Protección al Trabajador.
  English / Spanish Order printed copy 09/08/2009
References
- Engaged, energized, and effective safety committees. A playbook of ideas, interventions, and ingenuity!
  A playbook of ideas, interventions, and ingenuity! The purpose of safety committees and safety meetings is to bring workers and management together in a non-adversarial, cooperative effort to promote safety and health. Safety committees and safety meetings will help you continually improve your safety and health program.
  English 09/16/2022
- Rules with requirements
  We get many calls and emails from employers asking the same question. It begins: “Which of your rules have requirements for…” You can finish the sentence with words like “recordkeeping,” “employee training,” and “written documents.” To answer those questions, we’ve organized these rules requirements into a filterable, sortable, searchable table.
  English 05/10/2019
Reports
- Forest activities incident reports
  Synopsis from accident investigations that happened in logging and other forest activities.
  English 11/20/2019
- Pesticide Emphasis Program Annual Report, FFY 2016
  This report is the annual review of the pesticide emphasis program for federal fiscal year 2016 (FY2016). The data elements and analysis are presented, along with recommendations for program improvements for the coming year.
  English 01/27/2017

Education and training

Online course
- ATV Safety online course
  This ATV Safety training program covers all areas of ATV use for agricultural work, including the best and safest practices
  English Online course
- Heat Illness Prevention online course
  This online course is designed to satisfy 5 of the 7 training requirements found in Oregon OSHA’s rules to address heat illness prevention
  English Online course 05/27/2022

Grant program
- The Four Elements of Safety: Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls While Working in the Woods
  This guide is your training tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the hazards that come with working on uneven terrain with roots, rocks, slash and other obstacles on the ground. The information is tailored for workers in Oregon, but most of it is relevant for forest workers throughout the U.S. To teach this session, hold the guide so that the illustrations or photos face toward the workers you are training. On the other side are the instructions for what to say and do during the session.
  Instructor Guide English
- The Four Elements of Safety: 10 Minute Guide to Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls While Working in the Woods
  This condensed guide is your training tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the hazards that come with working on uneven terrain with roots, rocks, slash and other obstacles on the ground. The information is tailored for workers in Oregon, but most of it is relevant for forest workers throughout the U.S.
  Instructor Guide English
- Protéjase de los pesticidas
  Protect Yourself from Pesticides
  Esta guía es su herramienta para enseñarles a los trabajadores forestales y a sus familias sobre los peligros de trabajar con pesticidas. La información ha sido diseñada para los trabajadores en Oregon, pero es útil, en su mayoría, para todos los trabajadores forestales del país.
  Workbook Spanish 04/01/2019
- Protect Yourself from Pesticides
  Chemical Safety for Forest workers in Southern Oregon that address preventing exposure to pesticides and gasoline. Developed through a grant by Northwest Forest Workers Center.
  Workbook English 04/01/2019
- Los Cuatro Elementos de Seguridad: Guía de 10 Minutos para Evitando Resbalones, Tropezones y Cãdas Cuando Trabajen en la Sierra
  The Four Elements of Safety: 10 Minute Guide to Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls While Working in the Woods
  his guide is your training tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the hazards that come with working on uneven terrain with roots, rocks, slash and other obstacles on the ground. The information is tailored for workers in Oregon, but most of it is relevant for forest workers throughout the U.S.
  Instructor Guide Spanish
- Los Cuatro Elementos de Seguridad: Evitando Resbalones, Tropezones y Cãdas Cuando Trabajen en la Sierra
  The Four Elements of Safety: Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls While Working in the Woods
  This guide is your training tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the hazards that come with working on uneven terrain with roots, rocks, slash and other obstacles on the ground. The information is tailored for workers in Oregon, but most of it is relevant for forest workers throughout the U.S. To teach this session, hold the guide so that the illustrations or photos face toward the workers you are training. On the other side are the instructions for what to say and do during the session.
  Instructor Guide Spanish
- How to prevent musculoskeletal injuries
  This guide is your tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries from forest work, and at the same time, teach them about the actions that the worker can take to prevent them. The training is provided in English and Spanish.
  Training program English 12/30/2019
- Glossary of Forestry Services: with Motivation for Understanding
  Glosario de servicios forestales: con motivación para la comprensión
  Este glosario de actividades, tareas, herramientas y riesgos del servicio forestal une la terminología del inglés y español. También proporciona una descripción de las metas más grandes del manejo de los bosques para que el trabajo se lleve a cabo. This glossary of forestry services activities, work tasks, tools and hazards links English and Spanish terms. It also provides a description of the larger forest management goals for which the work is undertaken.
  Training program Spanish and English 09/15/2016
- Etiquetas bilingües de pesticidas para la seguridad de los trabajadores de reforestación
  Bilingual Pesticide Labels for Reforestation Worker Safety
  Under Oregon OSHA’s Occupational Safety and Health Grant program, the University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center developed bilingual pesticide labels and education resources for 40 commonly used products applied in vegetation management for reforestation. These Spanish labels are not intended to replace the English labels created by the manufacturer and the Spanish labels can be used to supplement the information used for the required training of employees.
  English Spanish 10/28/2024
- Como evitar enfermedades osteomusculares
  How to prevent musculoskeletal injuries
  Esta guía es su herramienta para enseñarles a los trabajadores forestales y a sus familias sobre el peligro de desarrollar enfermedades osteomusculares en el trabajo forestal, y de igual forma, enseñarles sobre las acciones que el trabajador puede tomar para evitarlas.
  Training program Spanish 12/30/2019
PESO
- Safety Committees and Safety Meetings (PDF)
  Comités de Seguridad y Reuniones de Seguridad
  Tailgate English Spanish 11/14/2022
- Safety Committees and Safety Meetings (PDF)
  Comités de Seguridad y Reuniones de Seguridad
  Overhead English Spanish 11/14/2022
- Safety Committees and Safety Meetings (PDF)
  Comités de Seguridad y Reuniones de Seguridad
  Workbook English Spanish 11/14/2022
- Occupational Health (PDF)
  Higiene Laboral
  Overhead English Spanish 11/14/2022
- Occupational Health (PDF)
  Higiene Laboral
  Workbook English Spanish 11/14/2022
- Occupational Health (PDF)
  Higiene Laboral
  Tailgate English Spanish 11/14/2022

Rules and rule-related

Advisory council

Forest activities

Final Rules
Interpretations
- Collateral duty
  10/08/2007
- Employees designated as first-aid providers
  07/30/2007
- Eye and face protection when using a chainsaw
  03/29/2013
- Fire suppression
  06/14/2018
- Handling of infectious materials
  10/12/2007
- Pinch point hazards on skid steer loaders w/backhoe
  06/22/2004
- Single jacking - use of radios as an acceptable method of communication
  04/13/2018
- Train workers in a manner they understand
  05/04/2010
- Transmitters in cable yarding
  This interpretation answers questions about how many transmitters are required when swedging and pre-setting chokers for cable yarding.
  01/06/2020
- Volunteer employee regulations
  10/18/2007
- Waiving Hepatitis B vaccination
  07/31/2007
Program Directives
- First Aid And CPR Training For Forest Activities Workers
  Purpose: This directive provides guidelines for determining if the number and location of first aid and CPR trained people are adequate at forest activities operations to provide care in a timely manner.
  A-254 05/24/2004
- Guidelines for Scheduling and Conducting Inspections of Agriculture Labor Housing
  Purpose: To establish and implement procedures and guidelines for inspecting agricultural labor housing by Oregon OSHA personnel.
  A-222 05/12/2025
- Inspection Criteria: Construction and Forest Activities Safety Inspections
  Purpose: This program directive provides guidelines for the safety enforcement staff when conducting programmed inspections of construction and forest activities employers on the safety scheduling lists.
  A-247 08/11/2015
- Inspection Criteria: Scheduling Lists for Safety and Health Inspections
  Purpose: This Program Directive explains how the safety and health scheduling lists will be created and the criteria and ranking factors that will be used to identify the places of employment the Director believes to be the most unsafe in the state of Oregon.
  A-244 01/24/2025
- Local Emphasis Program (LEP): Struck-by Hazards in the Logging Industry
  Purpose: This directive describes policies and procedures for implementing a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) to reduce the incidence of serious injuries and fatalities in the logging industry resulting from occupational exposure to struck-by hazards.
  A-245 10/12/2016
- Local Emphasis Program (LEP): Tethered Logging
  This directive describes the policies and procedures for implementing a Local Emphasis Program (LEP) to identify and ensure tethered logging operations comply with steep slope requirements under 437-007-0935 (Operation of Ground Skidding Machines and Vehicles), stability limits specified by machine manufacturers (if any), or the provisions within an approved and active research variance.
  A-298 11/02/2022
- Toilet Facilities: Reasonable Access
  Purpose: To provide guidance in interpretation of rules pertaining to location and accessibility of toilet facilities.
  A-097 07/03/2018

Video Resources

Borrow from the Resource Center

Forest Activities
See available titles
Borrow DVDs about Forest Activities from the Resource Center
Logging
See available titles
Borrow DVDs about Logging from the Resource Center

Watch Online

English
- Safe Design of Equipment Anchors
  Safe Design of Equipment Anchors: Education through Simple Design Guidelines. OSU School of Forestry
  Language: English Length: 15:21 minutes
Spanish
- Pesticides in Forestry, A Workers’ Guide to Safe Practices
  Available in English and Spanish languages. EPA Approved training video for training forestry workers about pesticides and the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). This video satisfies the pesticide safety training requirement for workers under the revised WPS effective January 1, 2016.
  Language: Spanish Length: 16:51 minutes

Additional Resources

Radio-tone-controlled device permit application

Area Map for Radio-Tone-Controlled Devices

Supportive Workplaces | Training Programs - OHSU, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences

Snag Hazard Alert - OHSU, Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation

Tethered logging in Oregon guidelines

Highlights

Forest activities incident reports

Forest activities

Overview

All available content

Publications

Education and training

Rules and rule-related

Video Resources

Borrow from the Resource Center

Watch Online

Additional Resources

Highlights

Related topics