Training Resources for Safe Operation of Specialized Equipment
Introduction
Specialized equipment, such as all-terrain-vehicles (ATVs), off-road motorcycles, and snowmobiles, are used for wildland firefighting, recreation management, and other forest management tasks. The Forest Service Health and Safety Code Handbook (FSH-6709.11) identifies such equipment, along with 15-passenger vans, trailers, and snow cats, as specialized equipment that requires operators to receive training.
Safe use of specialized equipment requires specific skills, along with an awareness of the unique hazards associated with use of this equipment in field conditions. Effective training can reduce the risk of serious injury or death from improper use of specialized equipment. Nationwide, large vans, motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles account for more than 9 percent of all fatal vehicle accidents, claiming more than 5,000 lives (U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov). From 1992 to 2001, about half of all Government workers who suffered fatal workplace injuries were performing vehicle and transportation activities (Pegula, S.M., 2004, Fatal Occupational Injuries to Government Workers, 1992–2001, U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Statistics such as these underscore the need for training in the proper and safe handling of specialized equipment. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has policies in place that mandate specific training and qualifications for specialized equipment use, standardized Forest Service training resources have not yet been developed. Meanwhile, private industries as well as other nongovernmental and governmental entities have developed educational materials for this equipment.
The Forest Service's Washington Office of Safety and Occupational Health asked the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) to develop a series of training videos for the users of specialized equipment. The products envisioned were similar to other videos that have been developed by MTDC: Driving on Forest Roads, Backing Up on Forest Roads, and Focus on the Mission: Transporting Wildland Firefighters. Before producing any videos MTDC conducted a market search to describe the types of commercial and noncommercial training resources currently available. This report documents our findings.
Initially we limited our search to videos and DVDs. Videos and DVDs are accessible to field units and are easily incorporated into training and certification programs that may be in place already. However, we quickly saw that other electronic media (Adobe Acrobat files, Power-Point presentations, Web-based training programs, and streaming media) made up a sizeable portion of available resources.
This report is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all available commercial and noncommercial training resources. As will be discussed later, much of the available material is oriented toward two major audiences: recreationists using specialized equipment and employees attending general industry training programs. These audiences have particular training needs that, in most cases, do not translate easily to the specific training required for Forest Service employees using this equipment in field settings. Our concluding comments will offer suggestions regarding certain areas that might benefit from the development of Forest Service-specific training materials.
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