Forest Ops: Feller Buncher © Commonwealth of Australia 2011 Page 1 of 122 © Commonwealth of Australia 2011 The views expressed in this learners guide do not necessarily represent the view of the Minister for Education or the Australian Government. The Australian Government does not give any warranty nor accept any liability in relation to the contents of this work". This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in whole or in part or in modified form (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. If you use, display, or reproduce this material or a modified form of it in whole or in part within your organisation you must include the following words in a prominent location within the material in font not less than size 12: “Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney Generals Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cc. Funded under the Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) Program by the Australian Government Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations Training material developed by Logging Investigation & Training Association (LITA). Mount Gambier, South Australia email [email protected]. LITA would like to acknowledge the following organisations from which material has been referenced and sourced: Hitachi Australia Tabeel Trading K&G Wright LV Dohnt & Co HVP Plantations Forestry SA Green Triangle Forest Products Worksafe Vic Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) Government SA Primary Industries & Resources SA We would also like to acknowledge and thank the Forest Industry personnel who participated in trialling this resource. ISBN: 978-0-9872027-2-7 Forest Ops: Feller Buncher © Commonwealth of Australia 2011 Page 2 of 122 Table of Contents Introduction to the Skidder Learner Guide ........................................................................ 6 Overview of the Forest Industry in Australia ..................................................................... 7 Advantages of growing plantation forests ................................................................................. 7 Australian Plantation Area ........................................................................................................ 7 Forest Types ........................................................................................................................... 8 Other Uses ............................................................................................................................ 10 Additional Formal Training May Be Required ................................................................... 11 Licensing and Competencies .................................................................................................. 11 Occupational health and safety .............................................................................................. 11 Environment ......................................................................................................................... 12 Fire detection and suppression ............................................................................................... 13 Additional Information ........................................................................................................... 14 Terminology ...................................................................................................................... 15 Plan and Prepare for Operations ...................................................................................... 17 Tree Pruning ......................................................................................................................... 17 Roading and log landing dumps ............................................................................................. 17 Marking the coupe ................................................................................................................. 17 What is thinning? .................................................................................................................. 18 Why thin? ............................................................................................................................. 18 When to thin? ....................................................................................................................... 18 How to thin? ......................................................................................................................... 18 Log cuts for Thinning Operations ............................................................................................ 19 Harvesting & Haulage ...................................................................................................... 21 Harvesting ............................................................................................................................ 21 Blue gum operation ............................................................................................................... 21 Safe work areas .................................................................................................................... 21 Damaged product .................................................................................................................. 23 Blue gum chip operation ........................................................................................................ 24 Self-Help Activity, Forest Operations ................................................................................... 28 Introduction to Feller Buncher Operations ...................................................................... 29 Some Components of Base Machine and Felling Attachment .................................................... 30 Types of felling heads ............................................................................................................ 33 The role of the feller buncher ................................................................................................. 33 Operating the feller buncher .................................................................................................. 34 Safety Considerations ............................................................................................................ 36 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Requirements ..................................................... 37 Forestry OH&S responsibilities in the supply chain ................................................................... 37 Safety Signage ...................................................................................................................... 38 Safety Equipment .................................................................................................................. 38 First Aid Equipment ............................................................................................................... 41 Fire Fighting Equipment ......................................................................................................... 42 Forest Ops: Feller Buncher © Commonwealth of Australia 2011 Page 3 of 122 Safe Work Areas ................................................................................................................... 45 Hazard and Risk Management process .................................................................................... 46 Self-help Activity, Noise Levels ............................................................................................ 50 Hydraulic Safety .................................................................................................................... 50 Fatigue ................................................................................................................................. 53 Communication ..................................................................................................................... 53 Self-Help Activity, Occupational Health & Safety #1 ............................................................. 55 Self-Help Activity, Occupational Health & Safety #2 ............................................................. 56 Electrical safety ..................................................................................................................... 56 Compressed Air ..................................................................................................................... 57 Self Help Activity, Air Safety ............................................................................................... 59 Safe working Requirements ................................................................................................... 59 Self-Help Activity, Hazard Scenario ...................................................................................... 62 Cleanliness of the feller buncher ............................................................................................. 63 Employees Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Responsibilities ................................ 64 Feller Buncher Maintenance ............................................................................................. 65 Maintenance and servicing ....................................................................................................