Gooserider said:I don't know how he managed to get his wrist - I'm thinking it almost has to be some kind of grossly negligent / unsafe use of the saw... According to the OSHA accident stats I've seen, the wrist is an area that doesn't normally get injured. This suggests to me that your neighbor had to be doing one of those sorts of things that fall in the "Paging Darwin" category of unsafe moves. Don't want to rank on the guy when he can't defend himself, but that's what it sounds like from your limited description.
Then don't rank without knowing the cause of the accident, and you have the expertise to comment.
I've never seen any safety gear of the same sort as chainsaw chaps and such are made of for the wrists... I haven't gone hunting for it, but I think I looked through enough websites when I was shopping for my own gear that if there had been anythng that was in common use I would have seen it...
Over on Arboristsite, they have an outfit that is selling what they call "Arm-chaps" - but those are made of black leather, and there have been some heated discussions about just how much protection they would actually provide. General concensus is that they probably wouldn't do much to stop a high speed chain, but that they MIGHT help in the case of a glancing contact with a chain that was coasting down or otherwise only moving slowly. The chaps are mostly sold on the basis of offering protection against scratching from moving branches and brush, and other non-saw injuries of that sort... They also claim to offer some level of wrist support.
The idea isn't a bad one IMHO, though it's rather a strange look, think cross between Biker and Goth chick; however it isn't "saw protection"
As far as the notion of working alone - NO it is NOT a good idea, indeed every list of things related to chainsaw safety will say not to work alone... In practice, I suspect there are an awful lot of people that DO work alone, and yes, some of them do pay a price for it... What I would suggest if you DO have to work alone (i.e. you either work alone, or don't get any work done..) then you do some things to reduce your risks -
1. File a "flight plan" - Tell someone where you'll be, and when you expect to be back, and that if you aren't back by reasonably close to that time, they should come looking for you....
2. Make yourself findable - mostly this is something to worry about if going into the woods...
3. Carry a working cell phone or (if near the house) a cordless unit... (Know where you are enough to tell the 911 operator where you are as well...Gooserider
Gooserider said:crazy_dan said:If you are going to be walking engage the chain safety brake, it only takes rotating your left wrist a little and voilà the chain stops if not then you need to service your saw.
I have mixed feelings about using the brake like that, though it is probably safer than walking around with the brake off... Three major issues,
1. Dolmar's manual seems to warn against running the saw very much with the brake on - they say it can lead to mechanical damage. Not sure how if the saw is just idling, but...
2. I find it awkward to get the brake off... I haven't found a way yet that doesn't involve lots of fumble action... Either I have to let go with the left hand and pull the brake arm back (while trying to hold it up with the right hand on the rear grip) or let go of the rear grip with the right hand and try to pull the brake back while holding the saw on the center grip with the left hand, or some variant of passing the saw from hand to hand... All these moves feel clumsy to me, and make me feel like I'm less in control of the saw... It doesn't help that it's hard to hold on to the the center grip while pulling the lever back - since you have to pull back almost to the bar in order to latch the brake, my fingers get in the way... (If people have a solution to this, I'm open to suggestions!)
3. Sort of a carry-over from the firearms world - Cooper's third rule of firearm safety - place limited faith in mechanical devices... It's a pretty safe bet that an engine that's off won't restart itself, but a brake can fail, get disengaged, etc. It's better to have it than not when you have to unexpectedly stop the chain, but I wouldn't want to rely on it to stop the chain from moving when I could shut the engine off instead...
Others may disagree...Gooserider
Ok Iam looking at this chart anyone know where to get arm,wrist and or chest protection I have never seen any?WarmGuy said:
WarmGuy said:
been cutting a long time, just never seen wrist arm or chest gaurd got left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet! (hate seeing blood) Had to take a freind to the hospital on a knee injury! he passout after i got him in the truck felt like i was going to.He wasnt wearing chaps,he didnt beleave in them.(does NOW)downeast said:WarmGuy said:
Professional training emphasizes SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY of injuries. PPE standards are in order of life threatening injury : left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet. Get those and you'll be fine......along with experience and training and care.
smokinj said:been cutting a long time, just never seen wrist arm or chest gaurd got left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet! (hate seeing blood) Had to take a freind to the hospital on a knee injury! he passout after i got him in the truck felt like i was going to.He wasnt wearing chaps,he didnt beleave in them.(does NOW)downeast said:WarmGuy said:
Professional training emphasizes SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY of injuries. PPE standards are in order of life threatening injury : left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet. Get those and you'll be fine......along with experience and training and care.
not ever seen one before they are slick!sl7vk said:smokinj said:been cutting a long time, just never seen wrist arm or chest gaurd got left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet! (hate seeing blood) Had to take a freind to the hospital on a knee injury! he passout after i got him in the truck felt like i was going to.He wasnt wearing chaps,he didnt beleave in them.(does NOW)downeast said:WarmGuy said:
Professional training emphasizes SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY of injuries. PPE standards are in order of life threatening injury : left thigh, head/eyes/ears, feet. Get those and you'll be fine......along with experience and training and care.
I've thought about getting something like this for this time of year.... 93 bucks or so is what I'm finding online.....
http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/node3302.aspx?nid=60083&pid=51381
I once saw a vest version as well..... Might have been made by Stihl though....
Ok, here's the Stihl version. Pretty slick too! The Stihl shirt is 69 bucks..... Seems like a great Christmas present to me!
http://www.stihlusa.com/apparel/features_shirt.html
Sweet looking for one right now!Sealcove said:I have a pro forest jacket and the summer pro forest shirt. They are very nice not only for the added protective layer, but they are great brushing clothes as well. My jacket is due for replacement after nearly 12 years of abuse.
smokinj said:Sweet looking for one right now!
downeast said:...I swear this is the final suggestion. I swear. I swear.................
Spend your $$$ getting:
1. UL rated chaps, preferably wrap-around.
2. A UL helmet system ( check out Bailey's 'new' one from Germany, that is, how you say, "sweet" )
3. Good steel or poly toe boots.
4. Grip gloves ( the "protective" backing on "chainsaw gloves will not do much for carelessnes,incompetance, or hubris )
5. Learn, train, observe, ask. "It is the little grey matter " Inpsector Poirot.
You wanna look good, go to Brooks Bros., or Barney's.
sl7vk said:[You wanna look good, go to Brooks Bros., or Barney's.
Gooserider said:Very few seem to talk about wearing the shirts / jackets, and I don't see people that say they don't getting abused the way the non-chap wearers do.
Based on that, I'd say this is the purchasing order....
MUST HAVE gear -
1. Chaps
2. Helmet system. If you ONLY buck logs, then you can get away with a visor and muffs, but it doesn't save much and doesn't work as well (I tried it...)
3. Boots, steel toe minimum, chainsaw rated preferred. (IMHO Matterhorns are the best, followed by Labonville's)
Gooserider said:Mixed response... Depends on how you define "serious" - definitely if you get the Femoral, you are in deep doo-doo, and chaps are the preferred protection for it, but I'd be VERY surprised if injuries to the femoral were a high percentage of the total - it's on the inside of the thigh, towards the back of the leg, so it's fairly well protected against a self inflicted chainsaw hit. (Good thing too, as otherwise we'd have a lot more fatals) I believe that the majority of chainsaw hits are to meat and bone areas that are messy, expensive to put back together, and potentially disabling, but not necessarily life threatening w/ reasonably quick and effective 1st aid...
What would be interesting to my way of thinking is to get a more detailed breakdown of those injury dots... How severe were the average injuries in each of them? How many injuries were actually due to hits from a moving chain / running chainsaw?
Keep in mind that "chainsaw related injury" may be a bit of a fuzzy term - it might include getting hit by cutting debris, or injuries caused by a non running saw. Remember that safety rules and insurance regs for every place I've ever worked say that ANY injury, no matter how minor, is supposed to be reported, and is likely to be classed as "chainsaw related" if there was one involved in any way.
I'd especially wonder if that big batch of hand injuries might actually prove to include a lot of fairly minor scrapes and scratches, of the "hand slipped" while sharpenning / adjusting / replacing chain? I've done several of those when working on my own saw, I cussed a bit, maybe slapped a bandaid on it to keep from getting blood on the saw, and kept on working...
Most people wear gloves sharpening chain.
However if I was working for a tree company, I'm sure the same thing would have required an accident report be filled out, and the report would probably end up on some OSHA bureaucrapper's desk...
Obviously it's in the interest of the protective gear companies to make that picture as bloody as possible in order to increase their sales, but it might result in a slightly misplaced focus.
Gooserider
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