Chainsaw safety gear?

[user 64030]

...Why not use protection ? Don't want the "encumbrance" ? Please sign on the dotted line that you will refuse any emergency care paid for by the taxpayers of your region. "I want to bleed out."

I second that.

I don't always wear the stuff i should. If I am on my ATV and cutting just to clear the trail, I'll have my gloves & goggles because I ride w/ them on as well. If I am cutting to be cutting, Chaps, muffs, gloves, goggles. I have a pair of pants as a reminder, that you only get so many close calls. The last one shredded a pair of pants, and left me w/ a tiny scratch where 1 cutter nicked me. Looked more like a cat scrtach didn't even bleed. You cannot get any closer in my book. Chaps were bought the next week.

My eye sight and hearing (my life in general) are to important to risk loosing. Eye sight can be lost quick, hearing takes years of exposure. Seeing my father's hearing loss, and me having to say things to him 2 or more times... that isn't for me. I wear muffs, cutting, mowing, anytime I have some small engin running.

dw

 

[Hank Chinaski]

7 buckles, a couple velcro straps, putting on a hat and flipping down the ears, is no big deal to me. My PPE fits me, so it's not difficult to wear.

I'd honestly say that 99% of the time I've got chaps, gloves, and a helmet/face shield/ear protection on EVERY time I run any saw. And that other 1%, is usually not putting on gloves.

 

[cpr]

Helmet when falling, the rest always. Even the safest oerators clan toss a chain. My 288 did a couple months ago and got through the first three layers of my chaps.

Good luck out there...

 

[Machold]

Not a pro but I wear ear, eye & head protection (helmet comes that way) every time I start and use a saw, plus work boots and chaps. Seen too many slashed pants and chaps to do otherwise. And always start up on the ground with brake on.

 

[stihlrookie]

Helmet, muffs, face shield, all in one. I also wear foam earplugs for extra hearing protection. Safety glasses are a must. Chaps are worn when I am bucking but not felling. I wear heavy hiking boots, I hate steel toe or plastic toe boots. Leather drivers gloves.
I start my saw with the chain brake on, I heard this is a good way to tell if it is operating correctly. I know it wears it out doing this, slowly, but I would rather know it works each time.
I have been hit in the face with debris while bumping knots, thankfully wearing glasses, it doesn't feel good hence the face shield.

My dad was cutting some fence rails on the ground next to a pig fence, he got into the fence. Saw kicked back and got him in the face and neck. The only safety gear he had was gloves and the flannel shirt he used to staunch the bleeding. 70 some stitches later we call him leather face. Not saying that all the safety gear would have protected him 100% but a helmet with a shield would have helped.

 

[logbutcher]

Thanks for my morning chuckle... almost shot the coffee outta my nose... quite sure you didn't mean it the way you spelled it...

Got me on that one Msr.

Damn, should have called the grammar police on that ! Now for the correction : "...not procreation, but recreation."
Whew, am I in trouble for that lapse in thought process. Forgive me, for I have sinned.....:hmm3grin2orange:

Where are Moderators when you need them ?:smile2:

 

[kent550]

How many of you honestly wear what should be worn when you're cutting privately in your back yard, and not "on the clock?"

I wear my street clothes when I'm cutting, and no chaps, hardhats, eye protection, hardhat, gloves, boots, etc... Why? I know what will happen if I open that sucker up and ram the bar tip into the side of some timber.

Common sense dictates to me what is safe and what is not. A helmet will not protect me from stupidity, although it may help?

I kid you not... It is more important to wear eye protection operating an electric line trimmer than it is when operating saw. This is from personal experience...

I'm even extra hardcore... I'll even start my saw without the chainbrake engaged!

Work as a firefighter also and I have seen one dead man and one who cut of his leg + alot of fingers cut.
They were just going to cut some firewood.

 

[Fred482]

I wear full PPE, appropriate to the equipment I'm using, at all times. I've taught 'Firefighter Safety & Survival' for a local Fire Academy for 30 years and try to hold myself to a higher standard. As it has been said, steel toed boots, because that's what I always wear, hearing protection to save what I have left, eye protection because I've had steel removed twice, gloves because I've suffered cuts & dings, chaps because I've seen the results from not wearing them, etc........

That said, I was able to cause an incident many years ago in my shop, a truck fire that caused several hundred in damage. The members of my FD that were around when it occurred, have yet to let me live it down....! :msp_unsure:

 

[Ironhand]

I wear chaps every time I cut. Seeing someone else cut their unprotected thigh made an impression on me. Gloves most of the time, because I prefer to cut when it's not 90 degrees and buggy. Helmet/shield/ears most of the time, unless I'm working in the underbrush, then just glasses and earplugs.

 

[TreePointer]

Think about it

Q: What about a chainsaw and the accompanying physics changes when cutting at home vs. a job site?

A: NOTHING.

I wear all PPE at home. Steel toe boots, chaps, safety glasses underneath forestry helmet w/earmuffs, antivibe gloves. Sometimes I'll skip the forestry helmet when not felling, but I still wear eye & ear protection in addition to the other equipment.

 

[Woodomaker]

Got me on that one Msr.

Damn, should have called the grammar police on that ! Now for the correction : "...not procreation, but recreation."
Whew, am I in trouble for that lapse in thought process. Forgive me, for I have sinned.....:hmm3grin2orange:

Where are Moderators when you need them ?:smile2:

I scene that two......butt was silent....cause i maik mistakkes two...:msp_unsure:

 

[vegaome]

Howdy Folks,

You all do what you want were all grown ups. I wear all my PPE everywhere. My only fault is I start my saws without it on, I put it on while they are warming up. I worked on my neighbors saw the other day and took it out to do some tests cuts. He just laughed and shook his head when I put chaps, helmet and gloves on, always have steel toes on. I have one of them combination helmets with face shield and muffs built in, makes it easy. I've had limbs bounce off it a couple times.

I do it for myself and my family. I can't afford to miss any work days. I think the smaller saws will get you into trouble more than the big ones. I just always put it on my friends and neighbors can laugh all they want, maybe some of it will rub off on them.

v/r

Mike

 

[StihlyinEly]

My Labonville chaps have two gashes in the left thigh. Stumbled in both cases on very rocky ground.

Nuff said.

 

[alderman]

Work as a firefighter also and I have seen one dead man and one who cut of his leg + alot of fingers cut.
They were just going to cut some firewood.

20+ years as a fireman/emt and I've seen some nasty injuries also. What always struck me as funny is the macho men who knew it all and thought they were indestructable were the ones that whined and cried the most on the way to the hospital.

I prefer to wear the gear as it at least offers some protection. Talked my buddy into getting a pair of chaps a couple months ago.

 

[tygerorange]

I almost always wear full protective gear from head to toe. That means earplugs, helmet with cage and muffs, gloves, chaps and steel toes. I ripped a pair of carhartts a few years back with a chain, and i have worn my gear ever since.

 

[Agoraphobia]

The beauty of personal freedom is that you can choose to do the right thing before or after you experience the wisdom of it first hand.

 

[sgrizz]

I always wear eyes and ear all the time. chaps most of the time. going to wear the chaps more often and had gear when felling trees.

 

[kent550]

View attachment 213824
Happy day in the woods!
Moments earlier I buried 18" fullrevving 357xpg in my knee when limbing.
Not a scratch beacause of my sawpants.
(I took the photo of my guys)

 

[JimM]

How many of you honestly wear what should be worn when you're cutting privately in your back yard, and not "on the clock?"

I wear my street clothes when I'm cutting, and no chaps, hardhats, eye protection, hardhat, gloves, boots, etc... Why? I know what will happen if I open that sucker up and ram the bar tip into the side of some timber.

Common sense dictates to me what is safe and what is not. A helmet will not protect me from stupidity, although it may help?

I kid you not... It is more important to wear eye protection operating an electric line trimmer than it is when operating saw. This is from personal experience...

I'm even extra hardcore... I'll even start my saw without the chainbrake engaged!

I sense troll.

 

[David (saltas)]

your mindset is the first piece of PPE, the hardware is for poor choices

GB helmet visor muff combo, spare helmet visor muff for bystanders
gloves anti vibe gel palm and gel wrist straps
Stihl chaps
Blue steel work boots
Dark blue cotton work pants and Hi vis orange long sleeve cotton shirt with reflective strips.

A Well stocked first aid kit along with the knowledge to use it (training course every 3 years for the last 25 years)

debrief what did I do well, what could have been done differently and what will I do next time.