Safety gone mad

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Old2stroke

Never too many toys
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The Office of Bureaucratic Safety in their determination to stop us from injuring ourselves have introduced features to our favorite tools in an attempt to make them safety foolproof down to the level of the most inept and careless person who might be using them so we have chainsaws with chainbrakes for those who don't know how to deal with kickback and "operator present" throttle interlocks for those who walk around with a running saw where a twig might catch the throttle. I received a Toro trimmer and would you believe it has an OP lock out latch for the throttle? What dangerous situation could that possibly be there for? Are blowers next? They have engines and there are moving parts so there must be some inherent danger we should be protected from. Lawnmowers already have them with a vengeance, take your hands off the bar and the damn thing shuts off, wouldn't do to leave it running while you stopped to move something in the path, might get your foot under it in the process.
 
A trimmer can be fitted with a brush cutter blade. Not a good idea to have that on a machine without a dead mans switch.
Kick back, no matter how experienced we are, happens faster and more unpredictably than we might expect.
Whine and moan about safety, it's what these forums are here for, but it's here to stay and it will eventually save your ass if it hasn't already.
We aren't machines. We're humans. And one thing humans excel at is making mistakes. A pro is a pro because they've made more mistakes than amateurs ever will.
 
A trimmer can be fitted with a brush cutter blade. Not a good idea to have that on a machine without a dead mans switch.
So where is the danger? Is anyone going to leave a running trimmer on the ground while he goes to do something else? Has anyone ever seen a running trimmer being carried around with one hand? What lurking danger am I missing?
 
The Office of Bureaucratic Safety in their determination to stop us from injuring ourselves have introduced features to our favorite tools in an attempt to make them safety foolproof down to the level of the most inept and careless person who might be using them so we have chainsaws with chainbrakes for those who don't know how to deal with kickback and "operator present" throttle interlocks for those who walk around with a running saw where a twig might catch the throttle. I received a Toro trimmer and would you believe it has an OP lock out latch for the throttle? What dangerous situation could that possibly be there for? Are blowers next? They have engines and there are moving parts so there must be some inherent danger we should be protected from. Lawnmowers already have them with a vengeance, take your hands off the bar and the damn thing shuts off, wouldn't do to leave it running while you stopped to move something in the path, might get your foot under it in the process.
I was born in the 1950s.
I've never ridden in a car without seatbelts. In two severe automobile accidents in which I was a passenger, no-one was injured..
I have never used a chainsaw without a chainbrake and an OP interlock or a trimmer without an OP interlock so my view of such things may be coloured by my sheltered past.
Blowers cause eye injuries so I suspect your prediction will come to pass.

I've never operated a metal press that didn't have a safety interlock requiring each of my hands to be holding down a switch. However, I knew a man much older than me lost his arm in one with only one switch. I never heard him complain about safety innovations.
 
So where is the danger? Is anyone going to leave a running trimmer on the ground while he goes to do something else? Has anyone ever seen a running trimmer being carried around with one hand? What lurking danger am I missing?
The so called safety features on some devices is a combination of more safety awareness and ambulance chasing lawyers.
 
My dad attempted DIY digit amputation with a chainsaw once. Doing something with the chain of an electric saw, but didn't unplug it first. A branch got in the trigger guard, bumped the trigger, and he nearly lost three fingers. Dumbass. That's exactly why deadman switches exist. I don't think he ever touched a chainsaw again, either.

I've got deadman switches on nearly all my saws, only the non-running antique doesn't, and don't give them any mind. If the deadman switches weren't there, I wouldn't worry about it because my habits and usage patterns don't rely their presence to save my ass. Exactly the same way I don't rely on a safety on a firearm to not kill someone, and don't worry about the lack of a manual safety on my Glocks. I don't mind their presence though, a deadman switch on a chainsaw doesn't cause me any trouble, hasn't been a reliability issue, and might keep some idiot from chopping off important body parts. It would have saved my dad some trouble.

The one saw that I'm glad has a deadman switch is the battery electric saw. No engine running to warn you that it's live, no cord to unplug. I treat that saw with the battery in it just the same as I would a gas saw that's idling. Won't even check the chain tension without yanking the battery first. My gas saws, I don't care care about the deadman switch either way, but I'm definitely glad the battery electric saw has one.
 
I was born in the 1950s.
I've never ridden in a car without seatbelts. In two severe automobile accidents in which I was a passenger, no-one was injured..
I have never used a chainsaw without a chainbrake and an OP interlock or a trimmer without an OP interlock so my view of such things may be coloured by my sheltered past.
Blowers cause eye injuries so I suspect your prediction will come to pass.

I've never operated a metal press that didn't have a safety interlock requiring each of my hands to be holding down a switch. However, I knew a man much older than me lost his arm in one with only one switch. I never heard him complain about safety innovations.

My cab over dump truck does not have seat belts. My motor cycles do not have seat belts and half of my chain saws do not have chain brakes. Kick back and other safety issues are real, but I have to keep going none the less. If I worry about safety then I could not climb any more trees. No matter what there are risks so I do not rely on safety feature s any more or less just plan carefully. Thanks
 
I will take the safety stuff any day of the week. I have one chainsaw without a chain brake. Don’t use it. Lawnmower has a seat switch and it works. It has a 3-cylinder diesel that scream like a 220 swift. I won’t mow without hearing protection. Bagging leaves, I will put plugs and muffs on. Tractor has ROPS and a seatbelt.

New car has all sorts of safety stuff from lane assist, backup camara warning, lane deviation warning, blind spot warning. It will even brake (or at least try) if something jumps out in front of you. Some of the features are annoying. The backup camara warning is very sensitive and will often detect moving objects that are not a problem. The lane deviation will buzz the wheel if you drift or if don’t put on your directional but if they save you from one accident, money well spent. Its funny, the older I get, the more I like the safety stuff.
 
If I may butt in...there's a time and place for passive safety features and a time and place to modify or remove them. Wisdom is knowing when to ditch the trimmer guard, angle grinder guard, tape down the deadman switch on whatever, etc. In order to safely dispense with the safety "feature" we must first actually know how the tool can be dangerous and know what we're doing. If the safety feature is not obstructing the work, then I'll leave it be and be glad it's there. Things like double action triggers on jigsaws are a hindrance - they have to be defeated. Trimmer guard it depends. If there's small stones and dog feaces around, it stays, if it's difficult ground and rushes, it goes. Logsplitter double handles? One of them gotta go. Skilsaw sprung blade guard? It's not going anywhere, for any reason, ever. Chainsaw break - literally no downside to it.
 
The one saw that I'm glad has a deadman switch is the battery electric saw. No engine running to warn you that it's live, no cord to unplug. I treat that saw with the battery in it just the same as I would a gas saw that's idling. Won't even check the chain tension without yanking the battery first.
Lock Out.jpg
I actually added this to my battery powered pole saw, to prevent unintended activation in transport, especially in my car. I like to be able to carry it with the battery in place, but too easy to see it getting activated accidentally, and causing lots of excitement. I don't carry my string trimmers around in the car, so no reason with those.

As @OM617YOTA notes, they are 'live' anytime the battery is inserted. I have seen lots of guys at GTG pick up these tools and absent-mindedly 'blip' the trigger, which is why I also add the extra warning labels seen for tools that I bring.

Philbert
 
Some of the safety features are going too far and nowhere... People needing a car that preferably does all the driving and parking for them do not belong on the road as a "driver" imho. Get a cab or walk.
Many of the safety features are necessary because people not qualified use (or "have the right to use") these tools. As far as I am concerned, if someone needs to get a professional job done, get a professional to do it. Most professionals also know which safety features make their work safer...
 
. . . if someone needs to get a professional job done, get a professional to do it. Most professionals also know which safety features make their work safer...

I have a professional background in safety. Something we run into, all the time, is the 'survivor bias'. A bunch of guys get together in a room (on on a forum) and declare things like:

'Well, I never wore a seat belt and I am still here!', or,
'I never used a chainsaw with a brake, and I never got cut!', or,
' I (fill in your own unsafe practice here) ALL THE TIME and I never died!"

The problem is that the guys who did not survive are not available to present the other side. Best we can do is occasionally get the guy who will state, 'If I was not wearing chaps (seat belts, safety glasses, etc.) , I would not be here right now.'

Safety is about intentional actions taken to reduce risk and address hazards. It is not about luck. It is more than 'keeping your head on a swivel'. A lot of comments in the threads from 'old timers' who complain about the 'new guys' who 'don't have the experience to do the job'. Problem is that you need to survive long enough to accumulate that experience, often as a series of 'near misses'. So the safety practices are based on large scale collections of injury and accident data, not just on individual experience.

There are absolutely some hazards that you can control through training and work practices. Others you cannot. Some safety measures are an alternative to 'sh*t happens!'.

Philbert
 
... safety rule No. 1: If you are not comfortable doing something with the means at hand, don't do it. Of course, there are those that don't know what they are doing and feel perfectly comfortable until it is too late. The ability to successfully judge if one has sufficient skill to feel comfortable doing a task is a result of knowledge and training, and there is a lack of both these days.
There will always be dumb people doing dumb stuff besides the occasional sh*t happens. Too much security eliminates the need for knowledge and training (skill), thus enhancing knowledge void.
 
View attachment 842638
I actually added this to my battery powered pole saw, to prevent unintended activation in transport, especially in my car. I like to be able to carry it with the battery in place, but too easy to see it getting activated accidentally, and causing lots of excitement. I don't carry my string trimmers around in the car, so no reason with those.

As @OM617YOTA I have seen lots of guys at GTG pick up these tools and absent-mindedly 'blip' the trigger, which is why I also add the extra warning labels seen for tools that I bring.

Philbert

Had a guy at the shop do that to a cordless chainsaw.
"Oh crap, I didn't realize it was on"

Actually an on/off switch wouldn't be a horrible idea.
 
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