Chainsaw work and PPE

[dbHunterNY]

Just curious i assume many here have probably used a chainsaw for something like cutting wood for heat, habitat stuff, or cleaning up fallen trees.  I know of a lot of people that have had incidents.  i know of even more who haven't and don't wear any PPE; chaps, heavy boots, hearing protection, safety glasses, helmet, face shield, etc.  i myself went a pretty much my whole life without wearing the full setup of chaps, helmet, etc.  just glasses, boots, ear protection, gloves, and clothing to cover me.  i just recently got new chaps, but then for the first time a whole all in one helmet setup with face shield.

not looking for wanna be OSHA to beat up replies, but what do you guys and gals don when you pick up a saw to hit the woods?  it'd be interesting to see what's brushed off or what gets more attention.  obviously it should be all the above, but lets face it we all make our own decisions in life.

[bkln]

Normally I don't use any but then again I don't usually do big jobs just trimming or small branches to deal with.... :-)

[chas0218]

Safety glasses, ear plugs, work gloves, long sleeve shirt, steel toe.
I was thinking about one of those all in 1 helmets but every time i pick one up they are heavier than I would like. Chaps are a great idea just haven't spent the money on them.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Caveman]

I wear safety Glasses, hearing protection (usually my shooting earmuffs), and I make sure I don't have any loose clothing that can get stuck in the saw.  Admittedly, I don't run an extremely powerful saw, so kickback is usually not a huge problem if I'm careful. 

To me, aside from death/dismemberment, the biggest risk is an eye injury or long term hearing damage.  I guess I tend to insure against the more common accidents and just hope the less common catastrophic stuff doesn't happen.  Now that I have a little one on the way maybe I'll wise up though. 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Caveman

[stubborn1VT]

I make a good part of my living with saws.  I wear headphones and safety toe leather boots.  I own chaps, but almost never wear them.  I really should wear a helmet, but it restricts my vision.  

With that said, I think good boots, chaps and hearing protection are most useful.   

[The_Real_TCIII]

Just eyewear here. Not smart, I know

[growalot]

We have the whole deal I can't wear gloves and to be honest,when doing big stuff will not wear hearing protection...I need to hear what that tree or limb is about to do. Eye protection is a must be it safety glasses or the wire mesh face shield. Even my eye glasses are safety glass.

[Buckmaster7600]

Chaps, steel toes and oakleys for me. I should wear ear plugs but I have terrible hearing and muffs make me totally deaf. I don't wear gloves unless it's cold. I have a helmet I wear if I'm falling as soon as the trees on the ground it comes off. I cut a bunch of wood as a side job and for firewood and won't start a saw without chaps I have saw them work too many times.

In my opinion anyone running a saw without chaps isn't very bright. The first time you have a chain come off or break I promise you'll wish you had them on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fletch]

I do a bit of saw work just around the home property. I always have steel toe boots, jeans, long sleeves, gloves and safety glasses. I dont do the helmet/shield or chaps. I guess one of these days chaps would be a smart move. I have had chains come off hundreds of times but never break. I don't wear hearing protection sawing. It isn't near as loud as the music I listen too, I doubt the time weighted db avg is a concern for me. Amount of time at high throttle is pretty limited.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Fletch

[Dinsdale]

Stihl/Peltor helmet combo even for just one cut. Used to muffs all day at work anyway, can't imagine running saw like I do with out (or shooting ).

[stoneam2006]

Glasses steel toes and ear plugs is it...please for love of God take gloves and long sleeves off loose clothing and rotating equipment is not good at all...id probably wear chaps if I had them

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[wolc123]

I wear prescription glasses without side-shields.  With my larger, louder saws, I use earplugs. Hearing protection is vital to me, because my ears have often allowed me to get the drop on deer before they knew what hit them.  I probably would have starved years ago, or certainly made a lot more trips to the grocery store, if I could not hear as well.  In colder weather, I wear steel-toe, insulated work boots, jeans, t-shirt (tucked) and flannel shirt (untucked).  Sometimes, in hot weather, I have gone with just shorts and crocks, because that keeps me the coolest and makes chip-cleanup easy.   Keeping yourself cool and comfortable can keep you safer than you would be all bundled up and hot. Your mind functions better when it is not overheating and that is your most important asset, as far as avoiding injuries. 

We have always heated our house with wood, and I have been running chainsaws for many years, starting as a teenager, cutting wood to heat my folks house and some big "timber" logs for my dad's woodworking hobby.   I have had chains break a couple of times and jump off maybe a dozen, but have never suffered an injury from a chainsaw.  I might get chaps if I operated one a bit more often, or if I noted any loss in hand-eye coordination.  For beginners or pros, they seem like a good idea.        

Edited April 20, 2017 by wolc123

[genesee_mohican]

I have cut firewood for many years and have always worn good hearing protection and safety glass or sunglasses. I have too many friends that can't hear a turkey gobble in the spring, so I'm glad I've worn protection all these years and still have excellent hearing. I wear hearing protection when mowing or using any loud power tools. Protecting your eyes is just as important so glasses are a must as well. I also wear good work boots, long sleeve shirt or a light jacket and gloves.

[philoshop]

I won't run a chainsaw any more without wearing chaps. I've done it for a living and I've just seen to many pics of preventable accidents. It's not pretty.

[Fletch]

2 hours ago, stoneam2006 said:

Glasses steel toes and ear plugs is it...please for love of God take gloves and long sleeves off loose clothing and rotating equipment is not good at all...id probably wear chaps if I had them

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 

 

My long sleeves are not loose and the gloves are not bulky, form fit. I get poison ivy, oak, sumac by looking at it. I need to wear gloves and long sleeves. Nothing is loose. But good point.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Fletch

[stoneam2006]

My long sleeves are not loose and the gloves are not bulky, form fit. I get poison ivy, oak, sumac by looking at it. I need to wear gloves and long sleeves. Nothing is llose. But good point.

I hate that stuff I am same way have been that way since I was a kid. I hear ya there for sure. As long as mindful of the danger involved with gloves and loose clothing it can be done right.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[wolc123]

Poison ivy used to bother me. These days, if I think I may have contacted some, a shower with luke-warm water and soap gets rid of the oil before it sinks in.  Usually, that means every time I come in the house, after running a chainsaw in the woods.  It is also important to toss the clothes in the wash, or you or anyone else who contacts them will get the oil on them and not realize it until the rash breaks out a day or two later.     

[Will_C]

I have been using a chainsaw for 35 years-both my father and now my brother heat with and sell wood (self-employer excavators that do the firewood in the winter) and I help them. I never used chaps until I bought them 4 years ago-wear them all the time now. I wear glasses, and use a earmuff/face shield combo-work mostly on log piles. I do have a hardhat combo for working in the woods.

Will

[tommyc50]

hi im 57 yrs old and after 33yrs of working with pavement breakers, rockdrillsand other pnematic equipment even with using ear muffs they gave me a hard time about my hearing on my D.O.T.physical hearing protection is so important and eye protection even just the safety glasses must be worn

[stubborn1VT]

I wore chaps when I was younger, and I can say they never really helped me.  I rarely have a chain come off, and only had 1 break in the past 25+ years. 

I am more likely to wear them in the winter, to help stay dry and warm.  With that said, I've almost fallen on a saw because the straps got caught up in brush.  I do think chaps are a good idea, but they can be a trip hazard and they're too hot in the summer.

I'm bright enough not to judge or tell other people what to do.

[dbHunterNY]

i have a cousin that had a saw kick back from a wood pile end up giving him a saw scares right down his forehead and nose.  i don't know if he got tired or had a lapse of diligence.  hat helmet and face shield would've helped.  i know of a few occasions that have had someone get bopped on the head with small branches or brush enough to hurt like an SOB and leave some blood, or just get brush slapping you in the face.  that's pretty much the reason that had me get the all in one helmet setup.  by far it seems i know of many more people cutting open their legs from a mishap, hence why i've thought chaps are a good idea for quite a while.  for $70 it's worth it and the newer designs are pretty comfortable and light.  i wear glasses so big goofy safety glasses work well.  shatter-proof lens or not i've still had brush fencing wire and other things scratch the lenses.  glasses are expensive so saying that makes me rather bothered is an understatement. haha

[philoshop]

My brother got nipped by a chain saw a couple of years ago. It was high up on his thigh, front pocket area, and cut his $650 cell phone nearly in half in an instant. He wasn't injured, thank God. I sent him a pair of chaps as an early Christmas present and he now wears them. That was a 'homeowner' grade saw. Had he been running one of the aggressive professional grade saws that I normally use that cell phone wouldn't have stopped it.

I'm not a wuss when it comes to tools, but I know how fast things can happen with a chain saw.

[Five Seasons]

I make my living in EHS. So you can beat me up all you want but it pays the bills. I too haven't always been great with chainsaw safety.

bare minimum

hearing protection

glasses

long sleeves and pants

if tree trimming/falling add a hard hat and good boots, don't really need steel toes

To be real safe and smart? chaps. But I think a lot of chainsaw safety comes with how you're cutting and just planning the job out. Trees and limbs aren't 100% predictable but you can make some intelligent plans prior to just "hoping for the best".

[growalot]

Well I waited and........ not one of you mentioned the most important safety "equipment" you should have ...before even thinking of putting on all the rest and heading to the woods

A SHARP CHAIN I have 5 I rotate out when working...a dull chain will eventually land you in trouble, no way around it...

Edited April 21, 2017 by growalot

[Buckmaster7600]

Well I waited and........ not one of you mentioned the most important safety "equipment" you should have ...before even thinking of putting on all the rest and heading to the woods

A SHARP CHAIN I have 5 I rotate out when working...a dull chain will eventually land you in trouble, no way around it...

The amount of people who run a chain saw and have no idea how to sharpen a chain is scary! I never realized how many people own chainsaws that have no idea how to run them or how to take care of them until I joined a big hunting camp in the ADK's watching some of those guys run their Poulans and craftsmans on work days was down right scary!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk