You down wit' P.P.E.? Right here on O.P.E.?

[wildroamer]

OK, I'm no pro, but I do wear it! Just thought I'd get the ball rolling on personal protective equipment, maybe get some input from the real pro's, and anyone else who wants to chime in.

• Boots: Yup, I wear em'! And I want a good heel, easy to end up on my a$$. These don't have steel toe, but probably should.
• Chaps: I never used to, but after buying my own saws, and sawing a lot more these days, I bit the bullet. These are Labonville's, you can spend less, you can spend more. Really kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Not only protection from that pesky chain, but also briars/thorns, cold, and protects my pants from the oily chips, etc.
• Gloves: Aren't those nice looking Husqvarna gloves, with the protection built into the back of left one!? As you can see, I never wear them. I spend too much time grabbing onto nasty logs, branches, etc. I would wreck them, but maybe I'll use them someday. Generally use the pigskins with no liners. Rugged, inexpensive, and stay fairly supple even after soaking. If I'm just bucking up some logs, I have a nice set of earmuffs, but mostly I just put on the helmet. I like that I'm not looking for hearing protection, as I can just fold them up. Also, I find the face screen to be a necessity to save my handsome face. Which brings me to;
• Safety glasses: ALWAYS! I wear these glasses a lot, not just for chainsaw use. And that means whether I am using the face screen on the helmet, or not. I absolutely love the yellow tint anyway, somehow actually makes things seem brighter, even on dreary days. protects from getting whipped by branches, sawdust, etc, etc, etc.

Anyway, can't hurt to have people thinking about this a bit, especially for us regular folk who maybe don't handle chainsaws a hundredth as much as many here. As for my harping on glasses, I mean it. Metal sledge on metal wedge sent tiny sliver, like a micro indian arrow head, into my eye. Retinas never grow back. Screw an eye up badly, you are in for a lifetime of dealing with the consequences. Not just vision, either. Loss of vision in one eye destroys depth perception, say goodbye to life as you knew it. You might even develop chronic headaches and neck or back pain. This can come from years of slightly shifting your head as you look at things through one eye. Oh, how about lost time from work, family, etc. And the expense! You might find yourself having several surgeries and painful procedures, for years. Here's a pic of me when I developed an eye infection after one such surgery.

 

[wildroamer]

Oh, for those wondering about the title...
"You down wit' O.P.E,?"
"Yeah, you know me!"
"You down wit' O.P.E.?"
"Yeah, you know me!"
"You down wit' O.P.E.?"
"Yeah, you know me!"
"Whose down wit' O.P.E.?"
"EVERY LAST HOMIE!"

To be sung to NBN tune...

 

[Gary Courtney]

use it everytime

 

[P.M.P.]

I had a cornea ulser and was at the last stag of it. It was in my dominate eye couldn't drive lost work.Without the help of a few good people I would have lost total vision.It was miserable couldn't drive hardly watch T.V. lost all the work I had.Took about 2 months of alot of prayin my eyesight returned and now its better than before the accident.I wear safty glasses all the time now.I think we take alot of things for granted.

 

[wildroamer]

Glad you got it back, PMP! Mine's pretty well crap, big dead blotch in central vision. This is after many, many surgeries and procedures (have had several in-office shots right into eye. No. Fun.) Spent two weeks face down after surgery to repair detached retina. Scleral buckle. etc.

 

[P.M.P.]

Glad you got it back, PMP! Mine's pretty well crap, big dead blotch in central vision. This is after many, many surgeries and procedures (have had several in-office shots right into eye. No. Fun.) Spent two weeks face down after surgery to repair detached retina. Scleral buckle. etc.

It was the most pain ever been through in my life and believe it was just a piece of what you went through mine was also a infection because of the numbing drops that they gave me after accident that scratch cornea drops were eating the cornea away is what Iwas told and I wasn't suppose to have them.Iused themfor the pain nobody told me to take some ibuprofren to take swelling down sat in a closed room for 3 days putting a drop in a hour and the whole time it was eating my cornea.

 

[wildroamer]

Yup, no fun, is it? Hate those, "nobody told me..." moments. Really ticks you off when you find out you went through needless suffering, or worse furthering the damage.

 

[Cobby08]

I try to use chaps, boots, and hearing protection always. Gloves most of the time. I've always gone by the concept of it's never the first time user that gets injured; it's almost always the experienced user that gets too comfortable. Sent my hand through a table saw a few years back, same idea. I have used that saw countless times and just let my mind slip once.

 

[Frank bierce]

Great thread....I have been looking at getting some better safety equipment. Especially a pair of decent chaps, along with some ear protection.

 

[wildroamer]

Great thread....I have been looking at getting some better safety equipment. Especially a pair of decent chaps, along with some ear protection.

Pretty sure I paid about $80, and that I bought them right from Labonville. Also, at 5'9" I opted for the 36" or "long" which are perfect.

 

[wildroamer]

Cobby08, so true re: complacency. That's why I have tried to force myself into making it just habit to don the gear, even if just cutting for a short while. Gotta admit I still don't always go with the chaps, but I find it's like wearing a seatbelt; after a while you're so used to it, that it feels weird when you forget it. If that makes any sense at all, haha.

 

[Cobby08]

I have the ProMark from Stihl 40" and they seem still kinda high waterish. This time of the year I wear the winter pants religiously. Tighter then Luke Bryan's pants and look ghey, but a lot warmer and the flap covers up my crack... Hate when I get snow drifts in my crack...

 

[Cobby08]

Cobby08, so true re: complacency. That's why I have tried to force myself into making it just habit to don the gear, even if just cutting for a short while. Gotta admit I still don't always go with the chaps, but I find it's like wearing a seatbelt; after a while you're so used to it, that it feels weird when you forget it. If that makes any sense at all, haha.

Yeah, makes us feel naked without them. Last summer it was 90* out and I was sweating terribly. I had the chaps on all day so I said whatever I'll just risk it it's too hot. Literally cut half a block, felt weird and put them back on.

 

[wildroamer]

How about boots? Anyone all about the steel toes? I often think that my leather boots would do right about zilch to save my toes or the top of a foot.

However, my cousin, in line construction won't wear them. He says a steel toed boot will cut your toes off in a crushing situation, and he'd prefer the crush. Don't know how I feel about that position, however.

 

[Cobby08]

I prefer hard toed. My one pair of Irish Setters are aluminum toed. After seeing what a thrown chain does to the aluminum chain catch, I doubt they will hold up like a steel toe would. Just my .02.

 

[wildroamer]

Kind of an interesting chart, probably some have seen it. I couldn't readily find a more current one.

 

[jake wells]

i wear chaps that is it.

 

[Elim]

I picked up a set of chaps and one of those helmets like you have pictured a few months back. I look at is as I can't afford to get hurt at this point. If it saves me a hospital visit or keeps me from missing work it is worth it and I don't care what people think about it. I have a set of aluminum toed boots to wear. If I were a pro and did this every day I might go with the cut resistant boots. Eyes are very important. I should wear safety glasses more. I guess I have been lucky. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[mdavlee]

Glasses and ear plugs. Chaps occasionally. Boots when doing anything but cutting cookies.

 

[ft. churchill]

Yeah I wear it. Heck I wear steel toed boots everyday anyway.

I think it helps me score free trees when you wear the gear.