volume: 46, issue: 2
The substitution of petrol-powered chainsaws with battery-powered ones has still not taken place in professional forestry. With the latest battery-powered chainsaws, performance is not an issue anymore, but energy storage and recharging still are. Nevertheless, there are some ergonomic points where battery-powered chainsaws tower over petrol-powered ones. This work aims to measure, evaluate, and compare hand-arm vibration between two comparable chainsaws, one petrol, and the other battery-powered. Stihl MS 261 C-M and Stihl MSA 300 C were chosen for this task. The cutting measurement was performed on a wet trunk of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) with a diameter of 30 cm, and on thinner branches (<7 cm) in the canopy at the same felled tree. Time data that represents the ratio of chainsaw handling elements within effective working time in cutting and processing was obtained from previous research. Vibration magnitude was measured in compliance with ISO 8041-1:2017, ISO 5349-1:2001, and ISO 5349-2:2001 standards. The results regarding vibration total value (ahv), daily vibration exposure (A(8)), and time to reach exposure action value (EAV) and exposure limit value (ELV) proposed by EU Directive 2002/44/EC imply higher magnitudes on the rear handle and higher exposure of the right hand for both types of chainsaws. For petrol-powered chainsaw, results for measured vibration magnitude are 4.13 m/s2 for the left hand, 4.72 m/s2 for the right hand, and for battery-powered chainsaw 2.18 m/s2 for the left hand, and 2.82 m/s2 for the right hand. Daily vibration exposure is drastically lower when using a battery-powered chainsaw (A(8)=1.2 m/s2 – left, A(8)=1.5 m/s2 – right), likewise, the time to reach EAV and ELV is many times longer. The current state legislative restriction (Ordinance on Occupational Safety and Health in Forestry 1986) should be revised with the aim of increasing the effective working time because, according to the results of this work, it would be justified.
volume: issue, issue:
The substitution of petrol-powered chainsaws with battery-powered ones has still not taken place in professional forestry. With the latest battery-powered chainsaws, performance is not an issue anymore, but energy storage and recharging still are. Nevertheless, there are some ergonomic points where battery-powered chainsaws tower over petrol-powered ones. This work aims to measure, evaluate, and compare hand-arm vibration between two comparable chainsaws, one petrol, and the other battery-powered. Stihl MS 261 C-M and Stihl MSA 300 C were chosen for this task. The cutting measurement was performed on a wet trunk of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) with a diameter of 30 cm, and on thinner branches (<7 cm) in the canopy at the same felled tree. Time data that represents the ratio of chainsaw handling elements within effective working time in cutting and processing was obtained from previous research. Vibration magnitude was measured in compliance with ISO 8041-1:2017, ISO 5349-1:2001, and ISO 5349-2:2001 standards. The results regarding vibration total value (ahv), daily vibration exposure (A(8)), and time to reach exposure action value (EAV) and exposure limit value (ELV) proposed by EU Directive 2002/44/EC imply higher magnitudes on the rear handle and higher exposure of the right hand for both types of chainsaws. For petrol-powered chainsaw, results for measured vibration magnitude are 4.13 m/s2 for the left hand, 4.72 m/s2 for the right hand, and for battery-powered chainsaw 2.18 m/s2 for the left hand, and 2.82 m/s2 for the right hand. Daily vibration exposure is drastically lower when using a battery-powered chainsaw (A(8)=1.2 m/s2 – left, A(8)=1.5 m/s2 – right), likewise, the time to reach EAV and ELV is many times longer. The current state legislative restriction (Ordinance on Occupational Safety and Health in Forestry 1986) should be revised with the aim of increasing the effective working time because, according to the results of this work, it would be justified.
