The Brazilian forest sector had a great expansion from the decade of 90, deserving place of prominence in the economy of the country. However the success of the economic pointers did followed of improvemente of the life`s conditions health and work. The manual and halfmechanized extration still is used mainly in highlands due to the impossibility of entrance of machines and the lack adequate equipment. During the accomplishment of these activities it mainly has great risks of injuries in the column and the superior and inferior members of the forest workers. This study objectified to evaluate the ergonomic factors of the operations of forest extration in mountainous lands. The study was carried in a forest company, located in the city of Guanhães, MG; they had been studied 100% of the forest workers. For characterization of the profile and the health of the workers a questionnaire based on the national program of sample for domiciles was used, applied in form of individual interview. The ergonomic evaluation investigated the temperature accomplishes in the work environment, the equivalent level noise, the physical load of the work, the positions adopted for the workers, biomechanic analysis and ergonomic evaluation of the tractors. The characterization of the work organization was gotten by means of questionnaire. The involved forest workers in the activity of extration are predominantly men, with age of 33 years, married, have children, inhabit in the urban zone and proper house. They possess incomplete basic education, 100% possess register in the social security card and 66% are union members. The activities of extration have caused negative impacts on the health of the workers, having been the same ones displayed the situations of life and work that do not contribute for promotion and maintenance of the health. The temperature accomplishes average found in the workstation was of 21°C. The evaluation of the noise equivalent level evidenced that the B tractor operates in better conditions than the A, being that the noise level (84dB (A)) emitted for the B it is inside of the allowed one for the Brazilian legislation. The manual extration requires great physical effort of the worker to the cardiovascular load for the stages to tumble and to pile up is of 54% and 48% respectively, and is superior to the recommended value of 40%. The activity was classified as weighed. For the activity of the assistant the cardiovascular load was below of the recommended one, however the
activity was classified as moderately weighed. During all the hours of working the operator of the tractor adopts incorrect positions, due the necessity to control the direction and the implement. The biomechanic analysis evidenced risk of injury for the joints of the elbows, coxfemoral and ankles of the workers. The B tractor offers better ergonomic conditions of work to the operator, exactly thus this machine is not free of innumerable ergonomic inadequacies. The activity of extration is organized by the company, the hours of working is superior the 9 hours daily; the time of trip for the work is superior 3 hours and the alfmechanized extration is the only activity carried through in team. The activities of manual and half-mechanized extration need
changes based on ergonomic principles to offer to better conditions of work and health to the workers, thus promoting the comfort, well-being, the security and the productivity in the work environment.
