Volume 01, Number 2 Fall 2001

A decade of LogSafe
In the late 1980s, the high cost of workers’ based on the
compensation put enormous pressure on amount of
Minnesota’s struggling logging industry. The workers’
Minnesota Timber Producers Association (TPA) compensation payroll
and
. other industry trade groups sought relief from they report.
the State Legislature.
In order to emphasize the importance of safety in
In May 1990, the Minnesota Legislature passed a lowering workers’ compensation costs, employers
bill aimed at reducing loggers’ high workers’ and their employees are required to attend safety
compensation costs. At the time the legislation was seminars provided by the Department of Labor
passed, the Assigned Risk Plan rate for loggers and Industry (DLI) before receiving their insurance
was $49.35 per $100 of payroll. rebate. The legislation set aside $125,000 annually
from the assessment to fund these safety seminars.
The1990 legislation provided the immediate relief
needed to lower workers’ compensation costs for Safety seminars are offered throughout the state
those employers that purchased coverage. Longer- near where loggers live and work. The seminars
range relief was sought through a mandatory safety are offered in spring and fall. April is normally a
program for loggers. Additionally, studies were time of low logging activity, due to spring thaw, so
commissioned to explore ways to bring more most loggers attend the seminars then. The fall
loggers into compliance with seminars provide an opportunity to train new hires
workers’compensation coverage, thus increasing and those loggers that missed the spring seminars.
the pool of risk and lowering the average rate.
In 1991, the DLI commissioner contracted the
The rate reduction came from a fee levied on pulp training seminars to Duluth Technical College. An
and paper mills and sawmills for each cord of advisory committee of people from the logging
wood they purchase from loggers. The funds are industry was set in place to assist the program.
used to provide rebates to logging employers, Decade, continued on page 2

Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry

443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155
LogSafe newsletter 1 Fall 2001
 A decade of LogSafe,
continued ...

Gordy Peterson was the facilitator of the

newly named LogSafe Program. He
was a logger from Kettle River, Minn,
who had also been a board member
with TPA. Peterson had a unique blend
of talents and the perspective of a logger.
He understood the costs, the industry’s hardships
and had the business education to understand what the
Department of Labor and Industry hoped to develop with the LogSafe Program. However, Peterson
died four miles from his home in a one-vehicle traffic accident in 1994.

Don Runnberg, from Silver Bay, Minn., took Peterson’s position as LogSafe Program facilitator. He
was an instructor at Duluth Technical College and worked in the college’s “Over The Road” truck
driving program. Runnberg came to the program with a background as a self-employed logging
contractor. He grew up near Finland, Minn., and when he was a young boy, his mother worked as a
cook in the logging camps, his father worked as a logger and the family would live at the camps during
the winter months.

In September 1995, the DLI commissioner transferred the authority to develop and manage the safety
seminars to Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC). Upon request, WSC provides
employers free, non-enforcement safety and health consultative services to help prevent or reduce
workplace injuries and illnesses.

Ron Christenson, who was working in DLI’s Duluth workers’ compensation office, took over the
LogSafe coordinator position temporarily until a permanent coordinator could be found. He had worked
closely with the program since it began in 1990.

In April 1997, Runnberg took a six-month leave from the Duluth Technical College to coordinate the
LogSafe program. That October, Ed LaFavor became the new LogSafe coordinator and Runnberg
returned to his duties at Duluth Technical College. LaFavor was a self-employed logging contractor
from the Hibbing, Minn., area. He had served on the LogSafe Advisory Committee and was its chairman
since 1996.

LogSafe has had partnerships with the Minnesota TPA, Associated Contract Loggers, Minnesota
Logger Education Program, Lumberman’s Underwriting Alliance and others during the past 10 years.
The program’s training has covered many safety topics, changing each year to keep up with the needs
of the logging industry and the trends in injuries. CPR and first-aid training are offered at every seminar
so loggers can remained certified, which is a requirement of OSHA’s Logging Standard CFR 1910.266.

Since Logsafe began, more than 9,000 loggers have attended its training seminars. Attendance has
grown from 527 loggers in 1991, to 1,100 loggers in 2000. There are 23 seminars conducted each
year throughout Minnesota.

LogSafe newsletter 2 Fall 2001

 “Since LogSafe The view from here
began, more Notes from Ed LaFavor,
than 9,000 LogSafe coordinator
loggers have
attended its Bruce Barker retired from his position at the Minnesota Timber
training Producers Association after 16 years of dedicated service on April
seminars.” 30, 2001.

During his time at TPA, Barker served the Minnesota timber industry
In 1990, the methods to harvest well, working on many issues to make our jobs easier, less regulatory
timber usually involved a chain and more profitable. He was well respected at the Minnesota
saw and a cable skidder. This Department of Transportation.
resulted in the logger being
exposed to a higher degree of A couple of years ago, while I was working on a project for LogSafe,
danger. many people within MNDOT told me the logging industry in
Minnesota should be grateful it has had Barker working on its behalf
Today’s logger may go for days and for all the legislation has has helped to pass for our industry.
without using a chain saw to
harvest timber. These changes, Barker was very involved with the creation of the LogSafe Program
to a more mechanized means of and the workers’ compensation rebate fund. This program was
harvesting timber, have reduced designed to educate loggers to work safer, to maintain a safer
the injuries in the logging industry workplace and to help reduce the high cost of workers’
and LogSafe’s training has kept compensation premiums.
abreast with these changes.
Recently, I was having lunch with a logger who told me that without
Future industry changes will lead the benefits of the Logsafe Program, he did not know if he could
to even more mechanization, but have survived the logging business. The logger’s reasons for the
there will always be a chain saw program’s success were the end-price for his workers’
and a “danger tree” somewhere compensation premiums and fewer claims. There are probably a
to cut. The operator who cuts number of loggers who would agree. One of the many people to
that tree, will need to know how thank for this is Bruce Barker.
to fell that tree safely, to prevent
being injured or injuring others. On behalf of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, I
want to to wish Bruce Barker a happy retirement and thank him for
LogSafe has proved itself over all he has done for this industry and for his commitment to LogSafe.
time. Although it is difficult to put
a number on how many injuries
have been prevented by this
program, a frequent comment
heard from loggers is that the
training has made them think
more about safety and that they
now stop themselves before
committing a dangerous logging
act.

LogSafe newsletter 3 Fall 2001

 More loggers awarded safety grants
The Safety Grants Program is beginning to have more and more loggers take up its offer for matching
grant money for safety equipment. The program offers all small businesses in high-hazard industries
assistance with the cost of abatement projects that reduce the safety and health risks in the workplace.
It matches the employer’s contribution dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 a project. The grant money
comes from late-payment fines levied against Minnesota workers’ compensation insurers.

Since 1998, 25 loggers have received assistance in the form of a safety abatement grant from the
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry – a total of $232,406. Some recent matching grant
recipients are:
• David Hughes Forest Products, Kelliher, Minn., received a $10,000 grant for a delimber.
• Don Korhonen Logging, Swan River, Minn., received a $10,000 grant for a slasher.
• JSF Logging, Blackduck, Minn., received a $10,000 grant for a feller buncher.

To qualify for a safety grant, employers must be covered by workers’ compensation insurance or be
self-insured. The company must also have a qualified person conduct a safety survey of the worksite
and identify the hazards. A qualified person could be an OSHA safety or health consultant, an insurance
loss-control inspector or a private consultant. The survey must result in specific recommendations,
such as providing new equipment, to abate the hazards.

Eligible loggers can apply for a grant to help them abate the hazards found during the safety survey,
using the recommendations as the basis for their request. They can use the grant to purchase items
such as feller bunchers, delimbers, fire extinguishers or personal protective gear.

Number of loggers receiving rebate increases slightly

In 2000, 145 loggers received a rebate; that number is slightly up from other years. The amount
collected from assessments in 2000, increased $35,600 from 1999 collections. However, the amount
of reported payroll was up about $600,000, which resulted in a slight drop in the amount of rebate per
payroll dollar.

Historical comparison: Loggers’ Safety Fund

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Mill assessments $786,907 $838,160 $878,236 $899,070 $915,151 $884,340 $876,628 $872,753 $882,150 $917,750
Less:
Logger safety programs $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000
Work comp
premium rebates $621,907 $713,160 $753,236 $774,070 $790,151 $759,340 $751,628 $747,753 $757,150 $792,750

Total reported payroll $3,194,618 $4,056,312 $4,829,601 $5,368,888 $5,538,879 $5,767,857 $6,462,230 $6,923,838 $7,472,732 $8,072,720

Average rebate $5,654 $6,148 $5,750 $5,734 $5,897 $5,385 $5,220 $5,193 $5,295 $5,467

Smallest rebate $43 $263 $462 $133 $119 $200 $122 $159 $76 $180

Largest rebate $27,283 $31,789 $32,131 $36,763 $33,395 $37,273 $35,633 $34,641 $39,385 $52,408

Number of claims 110 116 131 135 134 141 144 144 143 145

Rebate per payroll $ $0.195 $0.176 $0.156 $0.144 $0.143 $0.132 $0.116 $0.108 $0.101 $0.098

LogSafe newsletter 4 Fall 2001

 Please affix
sufficient
postage here.

LogSafe
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
P.O. Box 392
Chisholm, MN 55719-0392

2001 Fall LogSafe seminars

October 3 Rochester Call for location
October 10 North Shore Grand Superior Lodge
(Castle Danger, 10 miles north of Two Harbors on Hwy. 61)
October 16 International Falls Holiday Inn, Hwy. 71
October 17 Bemidji Northern Inn, Hwy. 2 West
October 18 Brainerd Ramada Inn, 2115 S. Sixth St.
October 23 Eveleth Eveleth Inn , Hwy. 53
October 24 Grand Rapids Sawmill Inn, 2301 Pokegama
October 25 Cloquet Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Road
December 20 Chisholm Ironworld Discovery Center

Note: Participants need only to attend one full-day seminar. Each seminar is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This free one-day event includes all training materials and lunch.

There will be two tracks offered at each LogSafe session:

1. CPR and first-aid certification and recertification
— All-day session for first-time training or recertification

2. OSHA logging standard

— All-day session about the logging operations standard, how to prevent ergonomic injuries
(sprains and strains) and how to work safely while using hydraulic equipment

LogSafe newsletter 5 Fall 2001

 LogSafe registration

Seminar date Location

Company ________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
City ________________________________________
State ZIP
Phone (_____)__________________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________

Name _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
City, state, ZIP _____________________________________
Phone (____)______________________________
Photocopy form to register additional employees.
Please return by mail (see reverse side)
or fax to: (651) 284-5739.
This information can be made available in alternative formats by calling the
Department of Labor and Industry at 1-800-342-5354 or (651) 297-4198/TTY. If you
need an accommodation to enable you to fully participate in this event, please
contact Ed LaFavor at 1-888-234-1217 or (651) 297-4198/TTY.

LogSafe newsletter 6 Fall 2001

 Unsafe felling technique kills Maryland logger
A logger was working alone on level ground in a Northeast Maryland hardwood stand. It was a cool
overcast day in the fall. A steady breeze was blowing.

The logger had 20 years experience and was considered a safe worker. He had attended his state’s
logger training program and was wearing all the required personal protective equipment for tree felling.

After cutting a 45-degree notch in an 18-inch maple, the logger began making a backcut, but pinched
his chain saw in the cut. The wind conditions may have contributed.

After attempting to break the hinge of the tree by winching it with the skidder, the logger tired to pull the
saw out of the backcut. It appears that after his unsuccessful attempt to remove the chain saw, he
began walking back to the skidder. The hinge for the setback tree broke and struck the logger in the
back, pinning him to the ground. The logger died of internal injuries.

To ensure consistent application, the logger or the contractor should continually evaluate directional
felling techiques. A larger notch (open-faced felling needs a 70- to 90-degree notch) and the placement
of wedges might have averted the pinching of the saw bar.

Additional circumstances that contributed to the death include: the position of the skidder did not
allow for pushing the tree over, the logger failed to keep the hazard tree in view at all times while in the
hazard zone and the recommended hinge was compromised by recurrent bypass of notch cuts.

LogSafe newsletter 7 Fall 2001

 Minnesota OSHA Offices
St. Paul 1-877-470-OSHA
443 Lafayette Road N. (651) 284-5050
St Paul, MN 55155
Duluth (218) 723-4678
5 N. Third Ave. W.
Suite 402
Duluth, MN 55802
Mankato (507) 389-6501
410 Jackson St., #520
Mankato, MN 56001
Workplace Safety 1-800-657-3776
Consultation (651) 284-5060
200 Logs/posters (651) 284-5042

Fed publications (202) 219-4667

Safety grant cuts costs
MN Rules (651) 297-3000 JSF Logging, Blackduck, Minn., received a $10,000
1-800-652-9747 matching grant for a feller buncher from the
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
Workers’ Comp 1-800-DIAL-DLI
Hotline (1-800-342-5354)

Logsafe Program 1-888-234-1217 Read LogSafe online at

Address:
Logsafe Program
Ironworld Discovery Center
Hwy. 169/P.O. Box 392
Chisholm, MN 55719-0392
www.doli.state.mn.us/logsafe.html.
LogSafe is a publication of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
Its purpose is to help the logging industry establish and maintain safe and
healthy work environments. This newsletter can be made available in
alternative formats by calling 1-800-DIAL-DLI or (651) 297-4196/TTY.

LogSafe Newsletter 8 Fall 2001

Presort standard
U.S. Postage
Communications Office
PAID
443 Lafayette Road N. Permit 171
St. Paul, MN 55155 St. Paul, MN

LogSafe newsletter 8 Fall 2001