Chain saw accidents.

[bill m]

I don't care how hot it may be, I will be wearing my chaps. Just will be taking more water breaks to stay hydrated.

[sandsawmill14]

safety gear is very important but no where near as important as common sense and proper training     sorta like artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity  :D :D :D

[foresterstan]

most accidents I have seen are from taking shortcuts on safety and maintenance, and being in a hurry. 
good gear and a sharp saw and some patience are pretty good safety precautions...

[John Mc]

I've heard of - or seen the results of - two categories of accidents that seem to make up an awful lot of accidents:

• people taking shortcuts on safety, as foresterstan mentioned. This can be either a conscious decision, or simply a lack of knowledge.
• fatigue or dehydration - funny things happen when you are tired, or your brain isn't firing on all cylinders due to dehydration. So many stories include something like " I was on my last tree/splitting that last log/finishing up my last load"

[sawguy21]

"So our carpenter is smart enough to know the saw is blunt but not smart enough to stop and sharpen it. Why didn't he sharpen it? Would he stop and sharpen/ change blades on his circular saw when it gets blunt or does he just keep going until the boss tells him to fix that too"
I have to take exception to this statement. The guy is a carpenter, not a chain saw operator. He has obviously had zero training using a tool that is much different than a circular saw. How many know how to properly sharpen a chain? So change the chain for a sharp one. Did he have a spare and know how to properly install it?
This whole scenario is an accident looking for a place to happen. Unfortunately shoddy operations like this are all too common, the workers are either too timid or too desperate for work to speak up. I don't know how strict the Australian authorities are, maybe lack of enforcement is also an issue. I understand they cannot be watching everyone all the time but maybe tighter regulations on who can perform this type of work are in order. Nobody dislikes government intervention more than I do but certain standards have to be set and met.

[Ed.]

The Australian authorities only get involved after the fact if there is an accident. There are probably existing rules to cover the safety and training requirements but I think that his employer seems to think he can get away with it. This chippie doesn't know how to sharpen a chainsaw nor had a suitable file to suit the chain. Needless to say I think that the tool hire mob would probably be liable (maybe?) for hiring  out a blunt chain saw, but I suppose that they may have a getout clause in the fact that it is up to the hirer to know how to use a power tool and supply their own PPE if they are hiring one out. I personally think that if an employer wants a worker to use a particular piece of machinery then it is the employers duty to ensure that the equipment is safe and that the worker is properly trained. There are laws to require this to happen but there are also too many shoddy employers who think that they can get away with it.

Unfortunately most workers don't want to rock the boat as unemployment here is high so most toe the line but as I said before, I wouldn't have used it, however as he is young and just finished his apprenticeship so probably not experienced enough able to stick up for his rights.

[Hitchcock Woods]

Mechanical failures are never a problem from a saftey aspect from our perspective if the proper gear is worn.  Bars getting pinched happens to everyone (especially bucking IMO).  Biggest saftey concern we have here is when trees get blown over in storms across trails and we have to clear them.  Big limbs can bend a lot and have a tremendous amount of pressure on them when the main weight of the tree is pushing that limb against another tree.  We do "accordion" cuts where we make multiple cuts on a joint that only go ~half way through on a lead to relieve a lot of the pressure.  I once saw a Longleaf limb move 20 feet laterally when i was cutting it, and that would ruin your day if it hit you  .

[John Mc]

I agree, Hitchcock Woods. Storm damage clean up is one tough job. You've got to be really good at reading the pressures on the trees. There are some interesting cuts you can make when you are not sure - I learned a few new techniques in a "storm damage clean-up" class I took a few years back. I should have taken better notes. I've forgotten a lot of what they showed me - I needed to use it a few more times right after taking the class in order to drum it into my head.

[John Vander]

Here in Japan chainsaw accidents are common due to lack of training and lack of PPE. Japan gets very hot with high humidity, but I wear my PPE cause if I get an accident it means I'm out of work for a while with added expenses (medical). My one friend's son (who thinks he knows everything) did some firewood cutting the other day and exerienced a serious kickback that flipped the saw out of his hands and it came back at him, cutting his left arm half way through. My friend himself has been cut several times too. One time he cut his leg (which wearing a pair of chaps could have easily prevented). Funny thing is right after that he went out and bought a helmet... ???