New report on NZ forestry fatalities

An analysis of forestry fatality data over the last decade shows that manual tree-fallers are estimated to be 300 times more likely to die at work than the rest of the New Zealand workforce.

Between 2013 and 2023, 51 forestry workers died on the job – 24 of them were manual fallers. The increased use of mechanisation led to a reduction in the number of fatalities each year from a peak in 2013. However, a considerable number of forestry workers still put themselves in harm’s way to harvest trees manually.

The region with the most tree-faller fatalities was the Southern North Island, with a total of 10 deaths. Across the country, 62% of manual falling fatalities occurred in forests run by corporates and 38% in smaller, woodlot operations.

The purpose of the analysis is to help the forestry identify ways to make safety improvements for those who continue to harvest manually.

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Source: Safetree
Image credit: Forest Industry Safety Council

Note: You can also download the report via this link from FICA