Chainsaw Safety Lesson...

[GBR66]

A friend of mine just had a "nasty" with his chainsaw. I asked why he didn't have chainsaw trousers...he said: "I have, they have remained hanging on the same nail in the shed for the 25 years since I bought them", that's his rather pathetically thin calf post-incident. I decided chainsawing isn't an amateur sport about 20 years ago as I am cack handed and have limited attention to detail...I am happy to pay a man who knows what he is doing when required!! Be careful out there....

 

[The Grouse]

that's his rather pathetically thin calf post-incident

I thought that was an arm to begin with! Don't think he can afford to lose any more meat !!

Seriously though, I hope he fully recovers.

 

[GBR66]

I thought that was an arm to begin with! Don't think he can afford to lose any more meat !!

Seriously though, I hope he fully recovers.

He is a fearless fieldmaster of foxhounds. He has what they call “a good leg for a boot” I have “sturdy legs”.

 

[GBR66]

He is a fearless fieldmaster of foxhounds. He has what they call “a good leg for a boot” I have “sturdy legs”.

As Monty Python said - “it’s just a flesh wound” but if I was out in the wood I’d want my tourniquet.

 

[Heym SR20]

Sadly these sorts of incidents are all too regular. Mrs Heym works in the forestry industry and has the misfortune of collating all these types of incidents.

Most of the accidents are with a “I am highly experienced, I know what I am doing and I don’t need reminding about safety and I can keep going all night” type attitude - right up to the time when the chainsaw takes a chunk out of them. Too often such injuries can be life changing.

 

[.25-06]

He can now attend a first aid course and compair injuries with the Estonians. How did he manage the back of the calf? An area not covered with class A protective trousers for professional users.

 

[GBR66]

He can now attend a first aid course and compair injuries with the Estonians. How did he manage the back of the calf? An area not covered with class A protective trousers for professional users.

Not sure about that - but as I said above wasn’t wearing the trousers he had.

 

[doric_prince]

Ouchy, thanks for making me not be lazy from now on and putting my safety trousers on when I decide it’s just a little job with the chainsaw…..

 

[SimpleSimon]

This is why I now just walk away when I see certain people getting a chainsaw out. Too many people have been getting lucky for years, the same ones that don't understand how easily the tree will kill you if the saw doesn't.

Most of the accidents are with a “I am highly experienced, I know what I am doing and I don’t need reminding about safety and I can keep going all night” type attitude - right up to the time when the chainsaw takes a chunk out of them.

 

[Stalker62]

I remember reading a Government H&S booklet on this topic.

The opening sentence struck me as rather informative.

"Chainsaw accidents are seldom trivial".

 

[gixer1]

It looks like his left leg on the inside - I’m really surround how it happened? As said - even with chainsaw trousers that may not have stopped it due to where the protection is on the trousers.

I was once on a syndicate work day and an absolute well known numpty turned up, he was well known for buying equipment and items in the manner where he must walk into shops and say “what’s the biggest most expensive one you have”….the guy is a moron, when he bought a trailer - it was a twin axle play trailer that weighed so much he kept getting stuck everywhere…

When he bought a chainsaw it was a rather large 24”+ bar Stihl….

We all turned up to cut rides through a wood, most of us had 12”-14” bar saws or the TH saws…we tried telling him but he knew better…

He was sweating buckets after 10 minutes wielding his mighty Stihl….about 30 mins in there was silence from his area - we walked over and he was putting the saw away - luckily he had on chainsaw trousers and the leg looked like a sheep was trying to escape from one of them with woollen looking material bursting out - he had caught his thigh with the saw and the material is designed to snag up the saw - i dread to think what would’ve happened had he not had them on. He was remarkably uninjured.

An absolute rocket of a man…

 

[Smelly Yeti]

It looks like his left leg on the inside - I’m really surround how it happened? As said - even with chainsaw trousers that may not have stopped it due to where the protection is on the trousers.

I was once on a syndicate work day and an absolute well known numpty turned up, he was well known for buying equipment and items in the manner where he must walk into shops and say “what’s the biggest most expensive one you have”….the guy is a moron, when he bought a trailer - it was a twin axle play trailer that weighed so much he kept getting stuck everywhere…

When he bought a chainsaw it was a rather large 24”+ bar Stihl….

We all turned up to cut rides through a wood, most of us had 12”-14” bar saws or the TH saws…we tried telling him but he knew better…

He was sweating buckets after 10 minutes wielding his mighty Stihl….about 30 mins in there was silence from his area - we walked over and he was putting the saw away - luckily he had on chainsaw trousers and the leg looked like a sheep was trying to escape from one of them with woollen looking material bursting out - he had caught his thigh with the saw and the material is designed to snag up the saw - i dread to think what would’ve happened had he not had them on. He was remarkably uninjured.

An absolute rocket of a man…

Seen similar a couple of times…. classically a right handed user ‘stabilising’ a log on the ground with his left foot whilst cutting rounds? Resultant kickback or log movement = …

A close second to cutting through toe box of left boot!

A lucky escape, hopefully a speedy recovery & a good anecdotal story for the pub & the Grandkids

 

[User00056]

I have several chainsaws, and am frightened of every one of then!

A fact I remind myself of each time I use them. Far too easy to become complacent, and they won't apologise for your own screwup

 

[Pete6.5]

It looks like he got away with that relatively lightly. At least his leg is still attached.

 

[eggy74]

Ouch, going to be saw for a while!

 

[NP435]

I can't imagine the sweat a24 inch bar would make me do lol, my 18-inch Sthil is plenty.

 

[User00056]

It looks like he got away with that relatively lightly. At least his leg is still attached.

There'll be a real danger of infection from all the crap and oil the teeth have dragged in, I should think? That's a horrible injury

 

[baguio]

I completed a week long chainsaw course last week courtesy of the FC grants. As a virgin user I feel much better about doing simple tasks safely now. However, I will never be doing any job without full PPE.
Thanks for the reminder. I’m sure that plenty on here has got complacent over the years?
Hope you mate recovers with no more than a few reminders of a bad day that could have been a whole lot worse.

 

[Frank Homes]

This makes sobering reading .....https://www.hse.gov.uk/treework/resources/casestudies.htm

 

[doric_prince]

I’m Self taught. but I did invest in class c (I think that’s the correct type?) trousers to protect my back legs- on the basis that inevitably I would do something stupid, same with the boots I own, despite not ever having to climb.