Spend an hour with us and save a life or limb. Here are the lads top 10 chainsaw safety tips for you.
Tip 1. It’s we one we hate, lads, but it’s necessary. RTFM! (Read the… Friendly… Manual, sure – ‘friendly’ sounds good right there.) Look, all the saws are different, even when they have things in common. Just knuckle down and read. It’s honestly not that painful.
Tip 2. Take a chainsaw safety course. Yeah it sounds horrible, but you can do it from your own computer in about an hour. You’ll cover:
- Chainsaw components and safety features
- Types of chainsaws
- Physical and site preparation for chainsaw use
- Safety requirements for chainsaw use, including PPE (see chainsaw safety tip 4)
- Hazard assessment, identification, and control
- Pre-operational inspections and function checks
- Chainsaw start-up methods
- Cutting techniques and best practices
- Post-operational maintenance and inspection
- Chain filing
The course is certified, so it’s good for professionals too. As someone once said – Just do it.
Tip 3. Close to our hearts as First Aid & Safety Instructors… keep a First Aid kit close by. Sure, we know when you’ve got the saw nothing will ever go wrong. But when it does, you’ll be glad you had your kit close by. You know tourniquets are back in style, right?
Tip 4. Use protection, boys.
- Hearing Protection
- Goggles
- Boots
- Hard hat
- Chaps
- Gloves
Tip 5. Know your limits. OK, we all know we have no limits and we’re God’s gift to women and saws… but actually, sometimes it’s just better to let the professionals do it. If the job is way beyond anything you’ve ever attempted, let someone else do it. Hey, you needed more beer drinking time, right?
Tip 6. Bring your drinking buddies. First, ask them to come round and bring beer. Do not miss this step. Then, remember you should never cut alone. If you’re up the brown creek without a paddle, you’ll need someone to call for help on your behalf.
Tip 7. Inspect your equipment. It needs to be functioning well and ready for service. Blades should be sharp, chains should be tight and things that need to move smoothly should be well lubricated.
Tip 8. Mind your tip. The tip of the saw isn’t for cutting branches and trunks – you’ll get kick-back and that way lies serious injury. Cut properly with the saw blade.
Tip 9. Mind your head. Don’t saw above eye level, lads. They call those falling branches ‘Widow Makers’ with good reason. Don’t leave the ladies single and sad.
Tip 10. Only fuel when it’s cool. You know what happens if you mix gas/petrol and a hot tool? Bad things. Bad things happen. Don’t do that.
So, those were our top ten chainsaw safety tips. But now taking the tongue out of the cheek for a moment, get serious about your safety. Read the f* manual, take a course, get safety equipment, do what it takes to keep yourself alive and in once piece. Not all scars look good, you know.
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