Chainsaw trousers

[greyman]

As one who has previous knowledge of what it is like to come into contact with a chainsaw (to my shame TWICE) may I recommend you go for the full protection and also follow the link for a bit of bedtime reading - http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/afag301.pdf

As a general point of interest suprisingly the HSE web pages on forestry is a good place to look for best practice. I know it's fashionable to take the micky out of 'Elf 'n' Safety' but occasional use can also be as bad being over confident.

Greyman

[The Barrowers]

Hello

Why would you not use the best protection available ie all round protection. Save a leg save a life.

Sthil trousers are good, these used with a packet of CELOX (£15 three year shelve life) (cost £5 a year to stop artial bleeds)) in our first aid kit are suitable.

We wince when we see people with a pair of gloves and a ryobi chainsaw, no boots, no trousers and they wonder when they loose a leg/finger.

Talking about Protection, We could go on about using Condoms to BSI standards to ensure protection but the usual retort is "So was the Titanic". The old ones are the best ones. Talking about protection a condom is handy to cover a cut hand or toe/foot to keep dirt out

Buy the best and protect yourself

[DaveTaz]

Surely it's down to the individual to make their own mind up once they have A.) weighed up the pros and cons of different levels of protection B.) carried out approprate risk assessment C.) attended appropriate training etc etc. Having a full kevlar suit is no replacement for taking care when using a chainsaw. There will always be accidents, it is up to the user and people around them to ensure the risk of an accident is kept to a minimum.

I believe chainsaws should only be operated by people that have had some kind of appropriate training.

I delivered some logs to a customer recently, he wanted them in 8ft lengths so he could saw and chop them himself. When I delivered them I asked what saw he had "oh just a £200 basic Stihl, just bought it today!" When I asked what PPE he had "one of those helmets and some leather gloves!"

When I explained to him about trousers/gloves/visor/ear protection/boots etc he looked amazed "how much would all that cost?" Answer "About twice the amount of your saw!"

There was obviously no way he was going to fork out for full PPE or a training course.

One other thing that i have heard within forestry/arb type work is that it isn't saws that hurt or kill people but usually trees and falling out of them that does!

[The Barrowers]

It is a democracy, you can decide for yourself how much you cherish your limbs

[MartinD]

As DaveTaz comments, it's not just chainsaws which can sting a bit! I have used a guy with 30 years experience, who wears all the gear, and knows all the technical detail of the cuts. Taking down a medium sized sycamore last year, the tree fell a few feet to the right of where he intended, hit another tree on its way down, and kicked back. He had the foresight to quickly step out of the way, as the trunk sped back past him by about 2 metres, taking a deep gouge out of the soil. His kevlar trousers wouldn't have been of much use if he had not moved quickly enough.

That's why I don't have a chainsaw of my own, and don't intend buying one. The bowsaw keeps me fit.

[David H]

Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them !!

My Father in Law has a wood burner, he sources the logs in any shape or form they come, I do all the cutting, I have the gear the training and the appreciation/respect of the dangerous tool the chainsaw can be if not used correctly.

[bblt]

Hi, I have just bought some chainsaw trousers and boots.

Is it best to wear the trousers on the outside of the boots or tuck them in?

[tracy]

I wear mine outside - the trousers are too thick to tuck in!

[DaveTaz]

wear chainsaw trousers on the outside as they should give better protection than your boots, and depending on the type of boots are cheaper to replace should they get damaged