Hard Hats Work

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I will add to the near misses. When I hired a tech on another WMA, the other manager wanted to borrow him for some to clear off some small pole timber/saplings for the viewing of our next elk release. This individual had lived on a farm all his life and worked on a tree removal crew as well. He knew how to run and handle a saw, but never had worn chaps. I gave him is new MS 260, MS440, hardhat, and chaps. I told him our policy on chaps and PPE and he was expected to wear them. Went up on the mountain around lunch to see what the progress was, and his chaps were shredded. He stepped on a limb that had ice on it laying on the ground. When he did, the saw went across his thigh. If he wouldn't have had those on, he would have probably bled to death. The area they were in has ZERO cell or radio service. It would have been a 45 minute trip down the mountain to the nearest interstate and at least 1 1/2 to the hospital.

I cut a standing dead oak for firewood a few week ago. I knew the top was shady and felt safe felling it. When the tree went over, the top hit a small limb and the top came back towards us. IF I wouldn't have escaped at an angle, it would have dead centered me. It wasn't huge, but without a helmet, it would have done some major damage. I escaped untouched, but it shows us what could happen.

One more. A buddy is working on house site for his family and he has been cutting some trees near the future driveway. I was giving him a hard time about his little Stihl MS250 and I realized he didn't have chaps on. I texted him to bust his balls and he sent me a pic of his leg. He finished a cut, didn't set the brake, and the bar got into his leg. He had adjusted his LA a little too fast and it was still spinning the chain. It got him pretty good.

Your story reminds me of another one I had several years ago. Was not a miss and I was wearing a hard hat as well as steel toed leather boots. I was felling some dead hardwood in the woods. All was going well until one of them brushed another tree on it's way down, breaking off a good size limb that came down like a lawn dart from 30 or so feet up, really not exactly sure. Probably 10 feet long and a 2 or 3 inches in diameter at the broken end that came down first. Anyway, it grazed my shoulder, narrowly missing the pocket of my collar bone (I suspect I might have been impaled if it was just a couple inches closer to my neck) then slammed like a javeline on the bootlaces on the top of my foot just an inch or two past my steel toe. Hurt BAD! Then 15 seconds after the initial hurt another much more intense wave of pain in the top of my foot hit...so bad I nearly vomited and blacked out. I thought I broke bones in my foot but x-rays a couple days later proved otherwise. Doc said it was the worst bone bruising she had ever seen. I could not put any body weight at all on that foot within a couple of hours of the incident. Ended up not being able to even walk without a makeshift cane. That foot didn't feel 100% back to normal until about 8 months later.

So yeah, not a near miss there.... It sucked.

 

[Hinerman]

Can an experienced cutter please recommend a comfortable lightweight helmet that a weekend firewood cutter would be well served with?

I know myself...if its heavy and hurts my head, I wont wear it.
I wear safety glasses so built in face protection not needed, nor is ear pro.
Or at least detachable. I'd prefer not to pay extra for them, just to remove.

Thank you!!!

http://skullbucket.com/

 

[Coltont]

I cut timber for a living, been in the woods 11 years. We work with a few amish hacks. Anyone in the timber business knows why I called them hacks. Anyway, they refuse to wear hard hats. But they wear chaps like it's part of there religion. They will have hard hat appreciation day some day. Ive been clobbered aallot in the woods, usually it's not too bad. Grape vines will get you everytime if you don't get them all cut before you tip the tree over. Got clobbered 2 weeks ago harder than I ever have. Thought it broke my hard hat that's how hard it hit me. Rattled my brain hurt my jaw and teeth and really did my back and neck in. I wear the fiberglass composite full brim type. Stupid thing was it was from a tree I cut the day before, walked by it to get to another tree , the branch came free and whack. Sounds like an unbelievable story, but I've got a witness.!

 

[David Young]

I will add to the near misses. When I hired a tech on another WMA, the other manager wanted to borrow him for some to clear off some small pole timber/saplings for the viewing of our next elk release. This individual had lived on a farm all his life and worked on a tree removal crew as well. He knew how to run and handle a saw, but never had worn chaps. I gave him is new MS 260, MS440, hardhat, and chaps. I told him our policy on chaps and PPE and he was expected to wear them. Went up on the mountain around lunch to see what the progress was, and his chaps were shredded. He stepped on a limb that had ice on it laying on the ground. When he did, the saw went across his thigh. If he wouldn't have had those on, he would have probably bled to death. The area they were in has ZERO cell or radio service. It would have been a 45 minute trip down the mountain to the nearest interstate and at least 1 1/2 to the hospital.

I cut a standing dead oak for firewood a few week ago. I knew the top was shady and felt safe felling it. When the tree went over, the top hit a small limb and the top came back towards us. IF I wouldn't have escaped at an angle, it would have dead centered me. It wasn't huge, but without a helmet, it would have done some major damage. I escaped untouched, but it shows us what could happen.

One more. A buddy is working on house site for his family and he has been cutting some trees near the future driveway. I was giving him a hard time about his little Stihl MS250 and I realized he didn't have chaps on. I texted him to bust his balls and he sent me a pic of his leg. He finished a cut, didn't set the brake, and the bar got into his leg. He had adjusted his LA a little too fast and it was still spinning the chain. It got him pretty good.

Wow the first one must have been eye opening. That is the type of event that can make a person a believer. I wonder if he wears them as a habit now?

 

[David Young]

I cut timber for a living, been in the woods 11 years. We work with a few amish hacks. Anyone in the timber business knows why I called them hacks. Anyway, they refuse to wear hard hats. But they wear chaps like it's part of there religion. They will have hard hat appreciation day some day. Ive been clobbered aallot in the woods, usually it's not too bad. Grape vines will get you everytime if you don't get them all cut before you tip the tree over. Got clobbered 2 weeks ago harder than I ever have. Thought it broke my hard hat that's how hard it hit me. Rattled my brain hurt my jaw and teeth and really did my back and neck in. I wear the fiberglass composite full brim type. Stupid thing was it was from a tree I cut the day before, walked by it to get to another tree , the branch came free and whack. Sounds like an unbelievable story, but I've got a witness.!

Thanks for sharing, good to get stories from a professional. Most of us are weekend warriors that have varying degrees of experience. It is easy to forget the stuff we do know.

I am a safety professional for an electric utility. I respond every time someone comes in contact with our electric lines. Most of them tell me they are experts but they leave a number of clues that it is not the case. lol

There was a fatality of an electric lineworker recently in new hampshire. He was working in a storm repairing lines. A storm damage tree fell as he was walking back to his truck and crushed him. It happens.

Another storm a couple years ago a tree trimmer was working with our linemen. He parked his truck under a pine that was loaded with ice. He went and talked to the rest of the crew. They heard a snap and a limb came down and crushed the cab of his F150. It would have surely killed him.

 

[Cobby08]

In reference to the chaps, a lot of misconception I hear WAAAYYYY too often is these people who buy electric/battery saws in relation to not needing PPE like chaps because they are "baby saws." So many people don't make the connection that electric/battery makes torque at all rpms.

 

[huskyboy]

I see a lot of people cutting with normal toe boots or even sneakers! ... if your using a saw... use steel/composite toe boots! They have saved my feet countless times against limbs and logs hitting them as well. At least 8” or higher boots to stabilize your ankle is desirable too.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

In reference to the chaps, a lot of misconception I hear WAAAYYYY too often is these people who buy electric/battery saws in relation to not needing PPE like chaps because they are "baby saws." So many people don't make the connection that electric/battery makes torque at all rpms.

Good point Mark,
Also, alot of people have a higher likelihood of getting injured with small or electric saws because they don't respect them as much and will be a bit more careless on their handling of them. Similar to how some people don't give a .22 LR the respect it deserves because "it's small".

 

[Dustin4185]

Good point Mark,
Also, alot of people have a higher likelihood of getting injured with small or electric saws because they don't respect them as much and will be a bit more careless on their handling of them. Similar to how some people don't give a .22 LR the respect it deserves because "it's small".

The last pair of chaps I bought said they did not meet the specs for protection from electric chainsaws!

 

[Marshy]

Can an experienced cutter please recommend a comfortable lightweight helmet that a weekend firewood cutter would be well served with?

I know myself...if its heavy and hurts my head, I wont wear it.
I wear safety glasses so built in face protection not needed, nor is ear pro.
Or at least detachable. I'd prefer not to pay extra for them, just to remove.

Thank you!!!

Any hard hat is better than none. My normal wear at work is made by MSA. I even bring them home when they expire to use at home. Haven't ever found one obnoxiously heavy or uncomfortable. If you sweat a lot get yourself some sweat bands for the liner. They make a lot of difference in comfort.

You really cant go overboard with PPE.

 

[Farmchuck]

@XP_Slinger, that's what I love about my Husqvarna pants. They're comfy enough that I can wear them all day and not notice anything different. I put them on in the morning if there's a chance I'll be running a saw. No need to think about it after that, or have to decide whether to go clip on chaps for "only a few cuts".

Which style Husqvarna pants do you have?

 

[David Young]

The last pair of chaps I bought said they did not meet the specs for protection from electric chainsaws!

Interesting I wonder why. Maybe the torque. I wonder if it’s the same for battery op ones

 

[XP_Slinger]

Which style Husqvarna pants do you have?

I’m looking into this as well, seems like a no brainer that will encourage wear of protective gear.

 

[David Young]

Any hard hat is better than none. My normal wear at work is made by MSA. I even bring them home when they expire to use at home. Haven't ever found one obnoxiously heavy or uncomfortable. If you sweat a lot get yourself some sweat bands for the liner. They make a lot of difference in comfort.

You really cant go overboard with PPE.

Nice post.
Helmets are fairly cheap, like under 20 bucks. If you are shopping you want to look under the brim where you will see the ansi rating. You want a class g (general) or even better a class e (electrical)has a higher electrical rating but meets the impact and puncture standard of a class g.
there are type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is intended for top impact only and has a suspension system. Type 2 also protects from side impact. The inside is filled with foam. The also are hot as the three hinges to hell.
Normally a lifespan is considered about 5 years for the outer shell and 1 year for the suspension from the time it was put in use. You can test a helmet by squeezing the sides of the brim into the center and watch the sides go back into shape. If it cracks. Obviously take it out of service.
UV rays degrade the plastic try to keep the hard hat out of sunlight when not in use.

I have seen hard hats save lives and the hard hats were older than 10 years old.

 

[Shanesaw80]

Which style Husqvarna pants do you have?

When buying pants or chaps pay attention to the TSS/TCS rating. I know here in Canada the newer husqvarna pants come in either the 4000 TCS or the 3000 TCS. We have a minimum requirement in our industry of 3600 TCS, even that won’t stop a chainsaw at WOT, just minimize the cut.

Also another thing to look for is how high the protection comes up the leg. A lot of the husqvarna and stihl pants only come up half way between the knee and waist, IMO that isn’t high enough. What happens if you cut yourself above that?

I personally prefer a higher rated pant that the protection comes completely up to my waist which is why I wear Pfanner pants. Sure they are more expensive to buy but what’s your life worth? I’ve cut 1 pair of pants in my life back in 98 but who’s to say it can’t happen again, accidents can happen.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Which style Husqvarna pants do you have?

I’m looking into this as well, seems like a no brainer that will encourage wear of protective gear.

I just have the Classic pants. They're super comfy, and have held up well so far. Probably had them about a year so far, maybe a little more. I don't cut every day, but I've gotten quite a bit if use from them.

 

[ManiacalMark]

Last time I was cutting for a living a took a saw to the knee. Super hot day, cleaning up a part of the piece another cutter made a mess of. Pushing myself too hard and hit something I couldn't see, ripped the handlebar right out of my hand and the saw slowed down across my knee cap click click click click. All because I didn't have my chaps on because I was " just doing a quick clean up". Couldn't cut for a month, tried after 2 weeks and I could barely hold myself up.

 

[David Young]

Last time I was cutting for a living a took a saw to the knee. Super hot day, cleaning up a part of the piece another cutter made a mess of. Pushing myself too hard and hit something I couldn't see, ripped the handlebar right out of my hand and the saw slowed down across my knee cap click click click click. All because I didn't have my chaps on because I was " just doing a quick clean up". Couldn't cut for a month, tried after 2 weeks and I could barely hold myself up.

Wow glad you are ok

Did you have to get stitches?

 

[ManiacalMark]

Oh yeah, 6 stitches. I walked up the hill out of the woods squeezing my knee skin back together.

 

[Slacker]

When buying pants or chaps pay attention to the TSS/TCS rating. I know here in Canada the newer husqvarna pants come in either the 4000 TCS or the 3000 TCS. We have a minimum requirement in our industry of 3600 TCS, even that won’t stop a chainsaw at WOT, just minimize the cut.

Also another thing to look for is how high the protection comes up the leg. A lot of the husqvarna and stihl pants only come up half way between the knee and waist, IMO that isn’t high enough. What happens if you cut yourself above that?

I personally prefer a higher rated pant that the protection comes completely up to my waist which is why I wear Pfanner pants. Sure they are more expensive to buy but what’s your life worth? I’ve cut 1 pair of pants in my life back in 98 but who’s to say it can’t happen again, accidents can happen.

No TSS/TCS rating listed on the forester brand chaps. ($45, apron style)
Does the ASTM rating mean anything to you?

Features & details

• Meets ASTM F1897, OSHA 1910.266, UL Certified
• Not suitable for use with electric chainsaws
• See description for sizing information
• "apron style" chaps protect front of both legs (most common injury area)

• These chaps meet the Leg Protection Requirements for OSHA 1910.266 Standards for Chainsaw Operators and ASTM F1897 Standard Specification for Leg Protection for Chainsaw Users (ASTM F1897-2008 39JY.) UL Classified.