Awareness campaign "risk behaviour forest"

In Switzerland, forestry is one of the branches with the highest accident numbers. The Suisse Accident Insurer, Suva, developed the campaign "Risk behaviour forestry" with the objective to reduce the numbers of accidents in forest enterprises, especially for felling activities.

Methods applied

Campaign

Tools used

Target groups

  • Works managers, in-company trainers and loggers-in-training in forest enterprises
  • Instructors in internal and external courses
  • Forest enterprise staff

Statistics

Identification of the task was based on:

  • Report "Occupational accidents in forest enterprises in 2003"
  • Report "Occupational accidents of apprentices in enterprises class 42B (forest enterprises) in 2008"
  • Statistcs "Occupational accidents per 1000 full-time workers in forest enterprises (class 42B) insured with Suva from 1975 to 2008"

Framework conditions

Partnership between Suva (prevention, accident insurance) and forestry branch or with

  • social partners (employer's and worker's associations)
  • educational institutions
  • works managers

  • trainers in companies, schools, intercompany courses

  • federal government
  • prevention (accident insurance institutions)

Approaches

  1. Situation analysis (statistical evaluation, report) 

  2. Cause analysis (enquiry with in-company trainers and instructors in internal and external courses) 

  3. Apply for commitment for need for action (with social partners, educational institutions, government) including creation of a common project 

  4. Preparation of tools in cooperation with social partners

  5. Instruct and accompany trainers for individual tools

  6. Introduction and communication of the measures to target groups

Programme

The campaign acts on three levels: 

  1. Increase supervision and enforce safety regulations

  2. Raise awareness of safe behaviour

  3. Optimize basic training of loggers

Applicability

Experience with other projects showed that the integration of partners is the key to success.

Indicators for success

In order to evaluate success of the campaign and to initiate possibly necessary correctives, 

  •   we continuously observe the development of accident numbers (statistics)
  •   we evaluated the acceptance and efficiency of the communication measures for the
      relevant target groups by means of a qualitative market research study 7 months
      after start of the campaign
  •   other measures for effect evaluation are envisaged.

Contact and further information

https://www.suva.ch/de-ch/praevention/branchenthemen/forst

philipp.ritter@suva.ch