Another Chainsaw Fatality In The News

Today the St. Louis news tells of a chainsaw tragedy.  A 40 year old man was pruning a tree, according to the story, and suffered cuts to his neck and arm.  He died at the scene.  Chainsaws are the most dangerous tools we have, and few seek out safety instruction.  Some activities with a chainsaw are more dangerous than others, and most amateur operators do not understand the forces that may put them in danger.

The article states that the fellow was pruning a tree.  That places the operator under great risk of having a kickback, and that often occurs from above your head if you are reaching above your shoulders to prune a limb.  Reaching above your shoulders with a chainsaw goes against accepted safety rules, but if a person has had no training, he does not know that, or understand why it is dangerous.

I have listed our safety rules below, with kickback related rules in bold.  If you are going to be running a saw, please seek out a safety class.  Study these safety rules and take them to heart.  If you can't find a safety class and must operate, please watch some of my videos to see proper chainsaw use techniques. Click on the Chainsaw label at the end of this post, or under Labels on the left side of the page to see my chainsaw posts.

PS: Note that you must always have both hands on the saw when you are running.  Wrap your thumb around the handle.  Operators often reach out with one hand to make a cut that is at the edge of their reach.  If the saw tip catches anything when you do this, the bar flips right back in your face.  Both hands, tight thumbs, whenever the chain is running!

Chainsaws
1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).

2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.

3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.

4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.

5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.

6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.

7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.

8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.

9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.

10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.

11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.

12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.

13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.

14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.

15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.

16. Don't cut alone.

17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.
18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.

19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.

20. Do not cut above your shoulders.

21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you.Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.

22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.

23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!

24!! Quit When You Are Tired! 

25!! Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure cause you to ignore safety rules!