Whilst searching for old photos of sawpits I came across this one of women woodland workers from the WW II Timber Corps in the Chilterns carrying timbers on their shoulders.
At first sight this appears to be a jolly bunch enjoying their work however recent personal experience has taught me that carrying logs over one shouder is not a good idea. This practice results in eccentric loads being placed on the spine and especially on the neck and upper back vertibrae which are complicated butterfly shaped and interlinked bones that are much smaller and more delicate than the lower spine vertibrae which closely resemble cotton reels stacked on top of one and other. Threaded between the neck and shoulder vertibrae are nerves that connect the arms to the spinal cord and it is fairly easy for these to become trapped between the vertibrae and maybe even become permanently damaged due to crushing from the imposition of eccentric heavy loads.
A better working solution would be to load and lash the log onto a timber trolley which can then be pulled without any eccentric loading to the spine.
An old golf trolley can be used to carry a hefty 4ft long firewood log over rough ground with the log secured to same using a simple ratchet strap.
A timber grapple is a much underrated tool which can lock onto and then be used to drag a larger timber along the ground such that at least part of the weight of the log is supported by the ground. Two smaller logs could be carried by one person, with one over each shoulder to help even up loading on the spine but better still is simply to grasp logs in the arms against the abdomen.
The Timber Corps photo also shows most of the girls working in shorts which is not a good idea in a bramble filled woodland or in one which is known to harbour ticks in grassy or bracken filled areas and in summer the dreaded horse fly (clegg). German foresters all wear leather trousers as standard personal protective clothing and as a minimum some thought should be given to wearing a boiler suit or coverall. The lower legs are particularly vulnerable to cuts and abrasions from branches lying on the ground that might spring up unexpectedly when stood upon. Even a thin layer of cotton based cloth will help prevent ground based contaminants entering a wound which will assist with helping to reduce the need for extensive cleaning a wound in the woodland. Wounds need to be cleaned as soon as possible to help avoid infection.
Keep your tetanus jabs up to date !
Chilterns
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Author
Safety First
