Analysis of Noise Transmitted to Workers in Motor-Manual Forest Harvesting in Minas Gerais State

ABSTRACT Noise can entail irreversible damage to the health of workers exposed to this factor. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate noise levels emitted by chainsaws during forest cutting activity. Noise measurements were performed with dosimeters on the workstation and compared to NR15. The noise dose average of all activities in the operation studied exceeded the maximum allowable limit of 85 dB(A) for 8 hours of continuous work, exposing operators to noise levels that may cause health and physical damages. The most critical situation occurred on felling activity, evidencing the lack of acting in the chainsaws designs aiming to reduce noise levels. The results highlight the requirement to use PPE’s suitable for activities, such as hearing dampers, and point to the need to develop research and new equipment with less noisy sources that aim at maintaining the health of the harvesting operators.