KenJax Tree
Terraphobic
A tool, or anything for that matter is only as dangerous as the idiot holding it.
Most Dangerous Tool........Chainsaw?
- Thread starter Greenthorn
- Start date
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wtrass
ArboristSite Lurker
I have a buddy that's an ER nurse- loves to tell stories of nail gun accidents he has seen.
Ironworker
Addicted to ArboristSite
Crane.
Surprised no one has agreed with farming, they generally always try to repair their own stuff, and that contributes greatly to the accidents, it is not just from using the stuff. Lots of dangerous stuff on the farm, mechanical & animal, you always have to be alert.
old-cat
Fir Man
Dead on, TRUE statement!!!!!!!!!
Yep, the mind definitely can be the most dangerous tool.
It used to be said back when I was being trained that firefighting was the most dangerous occupation a person could have, and a chainsaw was the most dangerous tool on a rig. And while I can say firefighters have made huge safety advances, chainsaws are still the most dangerous tool we carry amongst the hundreds of tools on a fire truck.
Chainsaw Jim
CJ Saws, LLC
Radial arm saws are no joke with all the pushing and pulling you end up doing. But if I had been operating it correctly and not showing off I wouldn't be telling a story about how I have chest skin on my finger from a graft.
The number one thing that gets me is those damn flat head screwdrivers. Always slipping off the screw and taking chunks of finger meat on the way by.
The number one thing that gets me is those damn flat head screwdrivers. Always slipping off the screw and taking chunks of finger meat on the way by.
Chainsaw Jim
CJ Saws, LLC
I know more loggers who have died on the job than firefighters.
Speaking off the radial saw, my shop teacher in grade school WAS missing half of his middle finger, just like in the movies.
You're right. Mostly because we have to follow NFPA safety standards or we get suspended by the department safety officer and we keep our gear in better condition. The other reason is that there are more loggers than firefighters.
But, at the risk of coming off as an internet tough guy, don't even think about insinuating that logging is a more dangerous job. Because that is, put simply, a lie.
Flip D
I like the other site better
My 339xp is one of the most dangerous tools I use on the farm even though it's my favorite saw and some of the best money I have spent. I realized it when we were planting tobacco this spring and saw my 73 yr old dad one-handing it while on his tip toes trying to get some limbs down around the fields. I do the same thing all while hold the trigger wide open. It's only a matter time before it slips. That thing is so lite it's easy to think you can one hand it.
I've been thinking about replacing it with a top handle or slap a 42" bar on the 372.
I've been thinking about replacing it with a top handle or slap a 42" bar on the 372.
Big Block
WFO or I don't go
flat head screws belong two places....on guns and in the trash
Flip D
I like the other site better
Around here, there are still a lot of small family logging operations and most are still manual felling. I know of more people killed by widow makers than farming these days.
Chainsaw Jim
CJ Saws, LLC
You shouldn't take risks like that. How's the calendar coming along?
Plasma cutter, I'd hate to think...
nnero
ArboristSite Guru
Logging and farming especially. Its easy to sit on the computer and judge people in hindsight for certain situations. Farming can be soul crushing, hard work guarantees you nothing and you cant stop. The cows have to fed and milked no matter what. It doesnt matter what the weather or temp outside is either. Fighting with the barn cleaner and manure spreader when is zero out with 2 feet of snow on the ground is quite an experience. You work 12+ hrs, never get enough sleep, cant take a sick day and the volatility of the milk market makes it hard to budget and plan ahead. And while all this is going you are working yourself to death. You have to be an agronomist, vet, carpenter and mechanic. All so well fed yuppies can call you ignorant and a redneck and cry animal abuse while you are literally giving the clothes on your back and shoes on your feet because the animals are your livelihood. Ive watched my dad do dangerous things and cob job worn equipment because there was no other choice. Farm equipment is scary up close, take a good look next time your are the fair. Now he has back, knee problems and needs carpel tunnel surgery in both hands but cant stop long enough to get surgery. And this is after the cows are gone. It scares me to death when he goes out in the wood or field alone now.
wtrass
ArboristSite Lurker
Actually- the US Bureau of Labor ranks commercial fishing first with logging second. Firefighting is like number 24 of most dangerous jobs.
Most dangerous tool is a motor vehicle. We kill and injure tens of thousands of people each year in this country alone with these tools, yet are pretty complacent with them.
In typical use, the operator aims the complex, one ton + machine down a highway at 70 mph, with his butt a foot or so above the concrete, and a foot or two away from 20 gallons of explosively flammable liquid, while passing inches away from other people doing the same, who may or may not have licenses, who may or may not be on their cell phone, who may or may not be drunk or asleep . . . in the dark, in the rain, on ice . . . .
Some of the other guys mentioned dangerous occupations: farming, logging, commercial fishing, etc. These are often situations with time pressures, unfavorable environmental conditions, a lot of improvised/'non-compliant' equipment (unguarded PTO's, beat up or modified equipment, etc.), and limited oversight (compared to fixed location occupations, such as factories, etc.).
As far as chainsaws, my standard line is that 'they are powerful tools, but don't care what they cut. It is up to us as operators to understand how they work, what can go wrong, and how to work in a way that minimizes the risk of injury to us or others if any of those things happen.'
Phlbert
In typical use, the operator aims the complex, one ton + machine down a highway at 70 mph, with his butt a foot or so above the concrete, and a foot or two away from 20 gallons of explosively flammable liquid, while passing inches away from other people doing the same, who may or may not have licenses, who may or may not be on their cell phone, who may or may not be drunk or asleep . . . in the dark, in the rain, on ice . . . .
Some of the other guys mentioned dangerous occupations: farming, logging, commercial fishing, etc. These are often situations with time pressures, unfavorable environmental conditions, a lot of improvised/'non-compliant' equipment (unguarded PTO's, beat up or modified equipment, etc.), and limited oversight (compared to fixed location occupations, such as factories, etc.).
As far as chainsaws, my standard line is that 'they are powerful tools, but don't care what they cut. It is up to us as operators to understand how they work, what can go wrong, and how to work in a way that minimizes the risk of injury to us or others if any of those things happen.'
Phlbert
Sheet of paper?
One of the worst paper cuts I ever got was licking an envelope to seal it...that smarted...sliced my tongue.
One of the worst paper cuts I ever got was licking an envelope to seal it...that smarted...sliced my tongue.
