Terrifying balance – since the beginning of the year we have had ten forest deaths

This year, 29 people have had accidents while working in the forest – and ten of them, i.e. one in three, are here in Upper Austria. The Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit (KFV) is now promoting appropriate protective clothing.

“Many of the accident victims wear little or no protective equipment at all. And this, although professional preparation and good equipment can significantly reduce the risk of accidents when working in the forest, “says Othmar Thann, Director of the KFV:” For commercial forest and woodwork, there have been clear rules and corresponding protective precautions for many years be respected. In the private sphere, the responsibility lies with the individual. And this is where we want to start. ”Two thirds of the victims were older than 50 years. Since the beginning of the year, at least 29 people nationwide have had fatal accidents while working in the forest – ten of them in Upper Austria. Of the 29 dead, 18 were older than 50 years. Seniors are particularly at risk. A total of 1,500 injured people end up in hospitals nationwide after private forest work. “Every tree is the first tree” The Board of Trustees focuses on education and has therefore launched an information campaign including a poster campaign under the motto “Every tree is the first tree”: A lot falls into the “No-na-net” category such as “Take it enough time to work in the forest and avoid time pressure. ”Well meant It seems more sensible that the KFV emphasizes the importance of wearing protective equipment, never working on slopes above or below one another and always having first aid equipment at hand to have. Well-intentioned, but often difficult to finance, is the advice to hire professional teams for work under particularly difficult conditions – such as felling sick trees.
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