Do all loggers avoid safety like the plague?

[Billy_Bob]

I have a couple of friends who are loggers and wearing safety equipment is just not "the thing to do" in their book....

I loaned one guy my string trimmer and at the same time handed him my safety glasses. He said; "I'm a logger. I don't wear safety equipment!"
I said; "Ok, fine. But if you get something in your eye, don't blame me..." So later I saw him trimming, stopping, then rubbing his eyes. The trimmer is a two string Stihl which throws stuff *everywhere* (which is why I wear safety glasses).

I was out cutting wood with another guy today. Told him I had chaps, gloves, goggles - whatever he wanted. Said he didn't wear any of that stuff! So later he was sharpening his chainsaw. I asked if he wanted gloves. He said no. Then as he was sharpening it, he cut his finger. (Just a small cut.) I just looked at him and laughed. I said do you want gloves now? He said no...

BTW - I didn't used to be much wiser myself, until I sawed half-way through my finger with a skill saw. Now I tend to be a safety nut...

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

I always wear my safety gear mostly just boots and hard hat as I run skidder mainly , but when cutting always throw on chaps .. I already know what a saw can do , last year I cut my big toe on my left foot almost completely off . Safety is a MUST !!

Rob

 

[smokechase II]

You didn't mention ear plugs.
What....
What did you say?

 

[Billy_Bob]

You didn't mention ear plugs.
What....
What did you say?

I had a guy come over and build a small barn/shed for me. He was using an air powered nail gun without ear plugs. Every time I talked to him, he said... Huh? What?

I learned I needed to talk LOUD...

 

[turnkey4099]

Didn't used to use anything but boots. Not now. Drive a nail, goggles on, hard hat, boots, chaps, ear muffs with the chain saw. Why the nail thing? I have 50% vision in my left eye now due to a misstrike, zing and light went out. Sick thing is the goggles were withing arms reach when it happened.

Harry K

 

[Newfie]

Safety gear is for wusses. Loggers are tough thick headed morons who don't know any better.


Do you base your opinions of all professions on your personal experiences w/ only a couple of individuals?

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Be nice now Mike ...

Rob

 

[Newfie]

Be nice now Mike ...

Rob

I was trying to be.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I sure see a lot of pics of people here cutting without any safety gear. And then I see posts like the above and, yep, like any other group, there is a range of attitudes, skills, experience, etc.

 

[notahacker]

A major injury is bound to happen. :Monkey:

 

[Ryan Willock]

If you are on my job you WILL wear steel toe boots (or safety toe) as well as a hard hat. I've found some people just will NOT wear ear plugs or muffs so thats their problem. A guy that was cutting timber for me broke a major safety rule three weeks ago. He was felling a 5'' beech tree to open up a new skid trail and didn't cut down a dead 13'' locast snag that was free standing about 30 feet away from him (I cut down all snags BEFORE I start cutting other timber or I push'em over with the dozer or skidder) it had no noticable lean to it nor had any equipment been near it nor had any trees near it been felled. It was NOT windy. The guy was cutting the beech as I was hooking up to a turn of logs about 100 yards away on a differnt part of the strip and I saw the snag start to fall in his direction and I yelled to him ( don't know why, like he could hear me over a saw and muffs anyway) well for some reason he took half a step back just as the tree hit his head and that was enough to save him, it drove him to the ground and he was back on his feet by the time I got to him. By the grace of God he was NOT hurt (save for a headach) but if he hadn't had his hard hat on it would have KILLED him! He wanted to go back to work but I wouldn't let him. This guy had had six years experiance in the woods so he knew better than to work near a snag but got lazy. He is no longer cutting timber for me. I've gone back to cutting my own timber and letting someone else run the loader and the skidder.

 

[Ryan Willock]

Oh, the part of the tree that hit him was 12'' in diameter. It broke upon contact with his hard hat.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Billy Bob, I have no idea what you are talking about.
John

 

[Ryan Willock]

John, thats nuts! I hung a couple today myself. I hate when that happens.

 

[spencerhenry]

one thing i can say for sure is that gypo is always good for a laugh.

i dont consider myself a logger, though i do cut alot of trees, and clear rights of way, and buy standing timber. i didnt own chaps until about a month ago, and have only used them once. i always use ear protection, and almost always eye protection, and i dont cut in sneakers anymore.
i am a framer by trade, only use glasses when i cant stand the sun, or there is too much dust to see. dont use ear protection unless doing lots of stationary sawing, or concrete drilling. never wear safety toe boots (sneakers, unless it is too cold). hell, i never wear gloves except with sheet metal, or its too cold. now that i think about it, i never used a seat belt unless i am in the race car. hard hats... i dont think so.
in 21 years of framing, have knicked myself with a saw once, bounced a couple of nail gun nails off of body parts, and never fallen.
maybe i found logging because of my lack of concern for safety gear??? or maybe people who dont like to be told what to do and how to do it gravitate towards jobs that they can be their own person???

 

[eyeinstine]

Billy Bob, I have no idea what you are talking about.
John

hey John,
is that the same tree (oak?) that you got hung up in the smoking saw - tree kick video?? Looks like the same hang up to me; see, i told you that you need this heavy smokin' pro mac 10-10 to give you the 'powers' to keep those big $$$ trees from snagging up..

And another thing, why not take the ATV to the trees your gonna cut?? I know its a long walk back to the truck or skidder, but c'mon, standing on the snag and cutting off the top, so when the tree whips back upright it shoots you like a human canon ball back to the truck is the lazy way of doing things..


Ron

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Spencer, I don't know why everyone has to insist that we are dangerous?
Ron that's a diffent tree I think, I just felled another one on top of it to make a teepee.
John

 

[Rotax Robert]

Hey gypo you still got that picture of you making the facecut while I back cut at the same time? It sure did save time on the job.

 

[Mange]

Here is very strict rules on safety, most loggers must use all safety gear, if they want to work.

Pants, boots, hardhat with screen and ear protection, gloves.
Some is even requiered to have a service contract with dealer, so the company can check the gas and oil run is up to standards.

No pro logger here mix their gas, all run Aspen, some use dino chain oil, but not with the big company's.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hey gypo you still got that picture of you making the facecut while I back cut at the same time? It sure did save time on the job.

Hey Robert, here it is. Two saws are better than one.
John