What safety equipment do you have when running chainsaw?

[John_Mc]

Are yall just putting on a show or do you really 'gear up' every time you use a saw? I mean, good for you, your probably doing the smart thing, but I don't think anyone I know personally over thinks it that much. Be careful, but safety 3rd.

Not putting on a show. In fact, I'm surprised at the number of people who don't regularly wear appropriate PPE when operating a chainsaw. I'm all for situational awareness (I'm a pilot and was a flight instructor for years: that phrase is something that was drummed in to me, and which I took great pains to drum in to my students.) But that is only one part of the story.

I'll admit to not wearing chaps or chainsaw pants on rare occasions when I am just making a cut or two - limbing a branch on a tree down in my yard. Is it smart and do I recommend it? No.

When I'm out for an extended session of felling trees or bucking firewood, the chaps, eye and hearing protection are ALWAYS on. If there is anything overhead, the helmet is on as well. When I first got in to doing my own work in the forest, I decided I wanted to be around to see my kids grow up and see their kids as well. I wanted to have full use of all of my limbs and not have scars so ugly it would scare the kids when they looked at them. I've stuck by that.

No one PLANS to have an accident, but s&#t happens. I have a friend who is a first responder/EMT who has some pretty gruesome stories. Many of them from people saying things like "I just don't understand it. I've been doing this for 30 years without a problem..." There is a reason that working as a logger doing hand felling has one of the highest Workers Comp insurance rates of any profession. You need the training, the "situational awareness", AND the safety gear.

People are free to make their own decisions when working on their own property. However, not wearing appropriate PPE is one of the quickest ways to get thrown off a job around here. I let some friends and neighbors harvest firewood on my property (usually, I take the trees down, and let them take it from there, but there are a couple of them who I will let do the felling as well.) I tell all of them that they'll wear appropriate PPE, or they will not operate a chainsaw on my property. I also tell them that if I find them not wearing appropriate PPE while working on my land, they will not run a chainsaw again on my property.

Years ago, we decided to have a pond dug. I hired an excavator to do the digging. I was too busy to do the clearing myself, so he hired a contractor friend of his to do it. I came home for lunch and saw the contractor at work wearing jeans & sneakers. His sole safety gear was his prescription eyeglasses. The felling cuts he was doing left absolutely no directional control. He "did not believe in notches and hinges" and did not think they were necessary. I sent him home, told him not to come back, and finished the job myself.

A good majority of loggers and landowner chainsaw operators I've seen in this area wear chaps and a helmet with hearing and eye protection and sturdy boots (no idea what sort of protection is in their boots.) I have zero patience with the few guys around here who seem to think that not using PPE is somehow macho and that they clearly must have superior skills to those who do use it.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
The R/W company I worked for years ago didnt require safety boots because they said they'd never had anyone cut their foot, and "you're walkng all day, your feet need to be comfortable."
A guy I worked with there told me "I'm a professional." I said "It's a professional saw, it can bite you."

 

[shooterdon]

One of tge best chainsaw operators here nearly died. It took over 200 stitches to sew him back up.

A buddy works for a power company doing tree work. Two years ago he cut himself with a little electric saw. He will be going on disability this year. He cannot work due to the injury.

I am clueless compared to these two guys when it comes to felling and using a saw. I act accordingly.

 

[Rockbadchild]

At the end of the day PPE is the last line of defense it's better to have one then not but if it gets there, multiple things went wrong. Then the question is what is the likelihood of that, longer and the more often you do it, the higher is the likelihood of it. Too much PPE can definitely be impeding but not enough put you at higher risk of severe injuries ... Personally I haven't heard anything here other then perhaps the face shield that would be impeding. But you can get used to most things in life, the face shield is definitely one of them. Personally the hard hat and the face shield is the two that I have the hardest time to wear (espicially the face shield). Not saying I shouldn't but I don't do this for a living, I am definitely glad to see most people wearing it and for the folks that don't I certainly understand because I don't wear it all myself but discussion like this influence people (me included) to add a few precaution to their task.

 

[Jstpssng]

At the end of the day PPE is the last line of defense

Best answer yet.

 

[LHF2019]

Not trying to be a wise guy, really want to know. How does one cut pants? What are the situations? Limbing/bucking, blade always headed away from my legs.
I wear glasses, sometimes, ear protection, sometimes, steel toe shoes, sometimes. yes, flirting with injury, but very situationally aware of dangers and surroundings.

I don't remember the exact conditions. I do remember what we were doing and that was cleaning fence line. I cut very little firewood and the bulk of my cutting is clearing brush. I'm hard on a saw. Always catching wire, rocks, and dirt. I was probably kneeling on the ground and brought the saw across when done cutting and got to close. Soon as wife saw red thought it was blood. There are times I'm laying on the ground under brush cutting it. It's really not all that fun but when the work is done it looks nice. I don't fell trees. No experience. I practice on little ones I can push in any direction but that ia as far as I take it.


Couple recent example. 100% chainsaw and manual labor. No tractor.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

You guys with the stihi hard hat with face shield and ear protection does it stay on when you bend over to pick up something off the ground?

I wore a hard hat for about 30 years working but didn’t have a face shield and ear protection and the helmet on the fire department the helmet had a strap.

 

[Rockbadchild]

You guys with the stihi hard hat with face shield and ear protection does it stay on when you bend over to pick up something off the ground?

I wore a hard hat for about 30 years working but didn’t have a face shield and ear protection and the helmet on the fire department the helmet had a strap.

I have never wore the face shield on a hard hat but I do wear a mining hard hat with earmuffs, the light in front is pretty heavy I would assume comparable to a face shield, the earmuffs hold everything in place when down on your ear... it is less stable when they are up usually my issue is keeping it on when looking up more then when I bend down but it dose happen, a chin lift usually dose the trick ... you can also get the chin straps for any hard hats so if that a problem for you there is that option.

 

[jjeff]

One thing Im probably over cautious of these days is getting hit in the head from broken off limbs of trees particularly not associated with the one I'm dropping. It definitely motivates me want to dig out one of my old plastic hardhats or buy a new one, and wear it At least when I'm occasionally felling large trees particularly in wooded areas. Even the old-timers like my grandfather and uncles wore them when working in the woods, long before OSHA and safer mechanical harvesting machinery was prevalent. I'll take a bad cut requiring stitches or gawd forbid amputation over being turned into a vegetable needing 24-7 care, caused by my diy carelessness and stupidity. And by me publicly posting it definitely motivates me to actually wear one when I'm occasionally felling larger trees. So thanks for a good motivational thread that I reflected on to address my lack luster use of PPE.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Not putting on a show. In fact, I'm surprised at the number of people who don't regularly wear appropriate PPE when operating a chainsaw. I'm all for situational awareness (I'm a pilot and was a flight instructor for years: that phrase is something that was drummed in to me, and which I took great pains to drum in to my students.) But that is only one part of the story.

I'll admit to not wearing chaps or chainsaw pants on rare occasions when I am just making a cut or two - limbing a branch on a tree down in my yard. Is it smart and do I recommend it? No.

When I'm out for an extended session of felling trees or bucking firewood, the chaps, eye and hearing protection are ALWAYS on. If there is anything overhead, the helmet is on as well. When I first got in to doing my own work in the forest, I decided I wanted to be around to see my kids grow up and see their kids as well. I wanted to have full use of all of my limbs and not have scars so ugly it would scare the kids when they looked at them. I've stuck by that.

No one PLANS to have an accident, but s&#t happens. I have a friend who is a first responder/EMT who has some pretty gruesome stories. Many of them from people saying things like "I just don't understand it. I've been doing this for 30 years without a problem..." There is a reason that working as a logger doing hand felling has one of the highest Workers Comp insurance rates of any profession. You need the training, the "situational awareness", AND the safety gear.

People are free to make their own decisions when working on their own property. However, not wearing appropriate PPE is one of the quickest ways to get thrown off a job around here. I let some friends and neighbors harvest firewood on my property (usually, I take the trees down, and let them take it from there, but there are a couple of them who I will let do the felling as well.) I tell all of them that they'll wear appropriate PPE, or they will not operate a chainsaw on my property. I also tell them that if I find them not wearing appropriate PPE while working on my land, they will not run a chainsaw again on my property.

Years ago, we decided to have a pond dug. I hired an excavator to do the digging. I was too busy to do the clearing myself, so he hired a contractor friend of his to do it. I came home for lunch and saw the contractor at work wearing jeans & sneakers. His sole safety gear was his prescription eyeglasses. The felling cuts he was doing left absolutely no directional control. He "did not believe in notches and hinges" and did not think they were necessary. I sent him home, told him not to come back, and finished the job myself.

A good majority of chainsaw operators I've seen in this area wear chaps and a helmet and sturdy boots (no idea what sort of protection is in their boots. I have zero patience with the few guys around here who seem to think that not using PPE is somehow macho and that they clearly must have superior skills to those who do use it.

I'm a pilot and Line Check Airman too... Small world. There is plenty to if risk in what we do, but we manage risk. Called TEM. Threat and error management. Also TPC, threats plans and considerations. In all cases there are threats you need to identify, and manage them. You have to have plans and considerations, to mitigate them or their negative consequences.
Yesterday it was gusting to 42 knots in DC. Requiring circling approaches and we had two windshear escapes we had to fly... All went smoothly, but it would not have without applying those models and communicating the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved.

A hard hat when working with a crew is really important. I've been struck on the head numerous times when clearing tornado damage. Those disaster situations are less controlled, tornados twist and stress trees in unnatural ways... So when you are clearing, things let loose that you had no clue, would let loose.

 

[jjeff]

Ok slight thread drift now, but I'm motivated to buy proper PPE, what's a good all in one helmet to look at? Good pants? I'm kind of interested in actual pants not cheaper chaps as Im foreshadowing a tangled disorganized mess of straps, Prefer to at least see what I'm buying in person and not order off scamazon even if shopping online has a better selection and price. Currently see echo branded all in one hard hats are about $50 brand name brand cheaper chaps not pants are around $75. I will definitely make a valid attempt to only use when frequent use of a saw is required for wood making, pants when removing several dozen overgrown Xmas tree cutoffs annually.

 

[ponytug]

You guys with the stihi hard hat with face shield and ear protection does it stay on when you bend over to pick up something off the ground?

I wore a hard hat for about 30 years working but didn’t have a face shield and ear protection and the helmet on the fire department the helmet had a strap.

+1 on all the comments around planning and situational awareness.

I've used both Husquavarna and Stihl hard hats with face shields. I slightly prefer the Stihl. Neither one falls off my head if I bend over to pickup trimmings. If I'm using them for any length of time, I usually add in-ear ear plugs for noise reduction. I have yet to find an on helmet ear muff that had a high enough NRR.

I use Stihl chainsaw chaps. They take a few moments to clip into, and I don't find them a problem to wear. They aren't like wearing shorts, but being used to wearing winter gear, I don't really think about it.

Steel/composite toe boots, on the other hand, I wear because I know I need them. I do notice them.

How many folks run low kickback chains? I do, but that's because I know I'm not an expert, and need every advantage that I can get.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Rockbadchild]

Ok slight thread drift now, but I'm motivated to buy proper PPE, what's a good all in one helmet to look at? Good pants? I'm kind of interested in actual pants not cheaper chaps as Im foreshadowing a tangled disorganized mess of straps, Prefer to at least see what I'm buying in person and not order off scamazon even if shopping online has a better selection and price. Currently see echo branded all in one hard hats are about $50 brand name brand cheaper chaps not pants are around $75. I will definitely make a valid attempt to only use when frequent use of a saw is required for wood making, pants when removing several dozen overgrown Xmas tree cutoffs annually.

I would go to your local chainsaw dealer and check out and try on what they have... we have a shop that sell both stihl and Husky and they have both brand of PPE so you can see and try both on.

 

[jjeff]

Thanks for the insight very recently on my way to hobby farm supply store looked at an echo brand hard hat combo and Oregon branded same basic construction and components but Oregon was yellow and quite a bit less so I bought the yellow one. The rotating adjustment wheel secures the hard hat securely when looking down even with the added weight of ear protection and a mesh face shield have not used it yet when actually cutting though. My search for pants continues. I jokingly figure I can also use it as sibling riot gear also lol

 

[5030]

Lid color is not important, what is, is the accessories attached to the lid. Far as chaps go, lots of different styles and makes out there. The important thing to be aware of is, how fast they will stop a moving chain and that hinges on what kind and quantity of filler they have under the top layer. I believe there have been some actual studies done on that subject. You might want to use your search engine of choice to peruse that.

No matter what you decide on, they will all be hot on a warm day.

 

[jjeff]

It's probably a telling sign when you continuously receive new pants as gifts. Cuz all your pants are holier than the Pope from various activities. So not as reluctant on price as I'll probably get my money's worth, Anyways been told the straps on chaps can and do get hung up on brush and branches so another check mark for actual pants.

 

[Rockbadchild]

It's probably a telling sign when you continuously receive new pants as gifts. Cuz all your pants are holier than the Pope from various activities. So not as reluctant on price as I'll probably get my money's worth, Anyways been told the straps on chaps can and do get hung up on brush and branches so another check mark for actual pants.

I would get these one, built on suspenders and the bob crack cover is a really nice touch ... Although the price makes me wanting them less ($465)

https://www.amazon.ca/Husqvarna-598967058-Chainsaw-Pant-X-Large/dp/B08BQN599V/ref=asc_df_B08BQN599V/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459397367479&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10952849281158406062&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001163&hvtargid=pla-1253544617981&psc=1&mcid=3ebea3b4bfc03fd8849262f9612441f8

 

[jjeff]

Those are nice and I like the suspenders however at that price I'd be more concerned at wrecking them than injuring myself by not wearing them. A couple hundred dollar max price point is seemingly more out of reach after my brief googler searches. When I get the time hopefully sooner than later I'll probably visit a few power equipment stores to see in person what's actually out there.

 

[dodge man]

I have had two different logging helmets and chaps. Either Stihl or Huskavarna on both of them. I’ve never timed putting this stuff on but it can’t take more than a minute. Someone posted it might slow you down. You see people that ride motorcycles say similar things about helmets. I can’t see and hear as well. Wearing safety equipment doesn’t make you any quicker but I doubt it slows you down much.

 

[MarkF48]

After an incident a few years back, I now wear a helmet with an attached face shield. Was under cutting a log and the saw tip wasn't far enough back into the cut, caught the outside of the log, and threw the bar upwards. Was lucky it didn't end up worse than it could have and only caught the top edge of my glasses and scraped the lens.