“A lot of people died.” I went with the woodcutters to the forest
The most dangerous profession in Poland: lumberjack. From 2018 to the end of May this year – according to representatives of the forest services industry – 141 people died. These are tree cutting accidents. One hundred and forty-one human tragedies. One hundred and forty-one families who lost fathers and sons. One hundred and forty-one deaths in five years. On the other side – an online course thanks to which I can become a lumberjack within 24 hours and apply for a job in the State Forests, although I have no idea how trees are cut down.
- Mr. Janek's bones were shattered by the trunk. “It was my fault, I shouldn't have been working in the forest then.”
- Lumberjacking is an extremely dangerous profession, for comparison – miners in Poland die twice less than lumberjacks.
- “My training is for hobbyists,” says an online seller of chainsaw course completion certificates. At the same time, he advertises his training as one that qualifies him to practice his profession.
- Mr. Janek's cousin, Mr. Marcin's friend, died in the forest. What did these accidents look like and why did they happen?
Each of the lumberjacks I talk to knows someone who died at work, most often crushed by a tree. Sometimes it's a distant acquaintance, sometimes it's family or a close friend.
– My cousin died. This year he will be two years old… He was forty years old. He left his wife and three children – sighs Mr. Janek.
Mr. Marcin talks about a fatal accident that happened in the winter of 2021: – He shouldn't have done anything that day at all. The snow was knee-deep. But you know, if a lumberjack doesn't go to work, he won't earn money. Should he wait until the snow melts? And what will he live on? It was my friend. He was running away from a tree in the snow, he couldn't see the root, he tripped…
“Map of accidents while working in the forest, theft and fires of forest equipment from 2018 to now”, published on the Internet by the website firmalesne.pl, is very impressive. The whole of Poland is strewn with skulls marking the fatal accident of a lumberjack. And twice as many of them die as, for example, miners. However, when an accident occurs in a mine, the whole of Poland is affected. People die silently in the forest.
YOU WILL FIND “A MAP OF ACCIDENTS WHEN WORKING IN THE FOREST…” HERE
Fragment of a map of accidents while working in the forest – Podkarpacie (east of Krosno)Fatal accidents are marked with a black skull symbol, and serious accidents are marked with an orange “life line” symbolMap of forestry accidents, thefts and forestry equipment fires from 2018 to now/google.com
Who works in the forest?
In this article “Death in the wilderness, without witnesses. Why do so many people die while cutting down trees?” we described the problem of the terrible occupational safety of lumberjacks, sawers, harvester operators and other people working in the care of forest crops. We asked the question: why such a large number of accidents, greater than, for example, in mining? We received responses from representatives of the industry itself, as well as the National Labor Inspectorate and the State Forests.
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