The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a of worker certification program on the risk of occupational injuries among tree fallers in the B.C. forestry sector. The project was aimed at providing evidence of current occupational safety interventions in the forestry sector, and potentially to assist in the design of new safety interventions for other high-risk occupations and sectors such as construction, mining and oil/gas

Historically, manual tree falling has been one of the most hazardous occupations in B.C. In an effort to improve safety, the BC Faller Training Standard was introduced in 2003 as an optional requirement to work as a tree-faller in B.C. It became a mandatory requirement in 2006

New fallers (with less than two years of experience) were required to undertake classroom and field training, and to pass a written/oral exam and practical skills evaluation. Fallers with more than two years of experience in the field could challenge the exam and evaluation and, if successful, would receive certification

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of certification in reducing the risk of work-related injuries among manual tree fallers in B.C

In partnership with the WCB of Nova Scotia