Chain saw safety seminar

[Gary Fowler]

I just got back from an 8 hour chainsaw safety seminar sponsored by the Arkansas Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils and was I surprised. I have been using chainsaws all my life and there was a lot of stuff I didnt know. The instructor(s) covered not only safety but also how to treat injuries from chain saws. The program was directed mostly toward emergency response workers and most of the participants were from local fire departments. The instructor was a former logger/emergency response and rescue person from New Hampshire who admitted that if he hadnt go into safety, he would likely have died in the woods because he was taught by his father who was taught by his father and all the ways were not so safe. The course not only showed us how not to get injured and all the safety gear to use but also how to car for our saws. I really learned a lot there on what to do for the clutch, bar, chain and engine. He also showed us some specialty chains for cutting steel and a special chain and sprocket that he uses when rescuing someone that has been impaled by fallen tree branch. His name is Dana Hinkley and he does this all over the country and I would encourage anyone who uses a saw to attend one of his or other instruction in chain saw safety so they can maybe not be one of the 41,000 of the reported emergency room patients treated for saw injuries each year. I went immediately and bought a set of chaps which I had been meaning to get for over a year and just kept putting it off.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

One of my old links on here I have a diagram of all of the reported injuries from several years ago. It came with my set of chaps. Very enlightening. Thanks for sharing about that. Knock on wood I haven't been injured seriously in 43 years of running a saw.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The instructor was using Stil brand saws which he got for free from Stil and they all had a second chain brake on the handle above the throttle. When you released the top bar it automatically engaged the chain brake. That is a nice feature that my Husky doesnt have and I havent seen it on any other saw. Dont know if that is proprietary from Stil or not but it is nice to see on a saw. He said Stil asked him what he found wrong with Stil saws and he said that they were built TOO good. Lots of them still running after 40 years that dont have any safety features that are required today. One other thing I learned is that the dog (pointed teeth at base of chain bar) is not for feeding the bar into the wood but is another safety feature to help prevent kickup from the saw so it doesn't kick back and saw you between the eyes. I always thought they were for forcing the saw into the tree ( they work for that also). I have sure been lucky with using them in the years since I havent even been starting them them the right way. I had alway drop started them and luckily not got it into my leg when it cranked. I guess I will have to learn the way to hold the handle behind my knee or with my foot on the ground and my other hand on the bar handle which he claims is the only safe way to start one. Both of these ways enable the pull cord to be pulled straight out rather than to the side as with my other methods.

 

[Tollster]

Good for you, there are many a logger too "knowledgable" to step into a class after so many years unless its forced upon him through an employer or his insurance agent. I like to think there are still people that believe they just might learn something new in a class and choose for themselves to go, sounds like you're one of those!
I recall my father falling on a chain at deer camp, it ripped his palm open and left a .250" kerf. I recall they don't just cut flesh, they remove it. He healed up with minimal rehab.

 

[jonyyuma]

Stated 41,000 emergency accidents?

 

[RoyJackson]

Stated 41,000 emergency accidents?

That's reasonable...most were probably minor.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Here is that link. And these are the "reported" injuries. I never went to the Doctor for any of mine.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/chainsaws/133369-interesting-but-boring-chainsaw-facts.html

 

[6sunset6]

I felt the same way. Had to take a 2 day chain saw course to do volunteer work I do. Had some bad habits and got a set of chaps. Now I know why loggers work in the winter. Has nothing to do with machines tearing up the place and leaving ruts 3ft deep . You are HOT in those chaps and I don't mean looking good for the ladies. It is also very hard to run but if you do it right you should not have to run. If you do decide to run it is probably too late.

 

[beppington]

I cut everything I can with my Stihl polesaw ... very unlikely I'll ever get hurt by the saw itself since the cutting head is 4 or 5 feet away from me. Being very long it seems highly unlikely that it could kick back & cut me. First, it really doesn't kick back. It can kick straight up just a few inches, but even if it did somehow kick way, way back toward the user, it would go over the user's head.

Also nice to be able to cut trunks/ limbs that are laying on the ground while standing, rather than having to kneel or bend way down to cut them.

 

[brandoro]

I felt the same way. Had to take a 2 day chain saw course to do volunteer work I do. Had some bad habits and got a set of chaps. Now I know why loggers work in the winter. Has nothing to do with machines tearing up the place and leaving ruts 3ft deep . You are HOT in those chaps and I don't mean looking good for the ladies. It is also very hard to run but if you do it right you should not have to run. If you do decide to run it is probably too late.

I use the chainsaw if I have to when it's hot out. I have chainsaw pants and I suspect they are even warmer than chaps. Been doing quite a bit of cutting the past week cleaning things up between the warm weather and snow. Working in snow can be tough too when it gets too deep. I still have a few trees to cut up that came down in a windstorm this past summer.