Climbers death - kick back.

[billpierce]

Scares the shit out of me reading this and knowing how easily done an accident like this would be. Just a moment's lapse in concentration......sad times

[Khriss]

The best protection is that bit between yr ears .... we all do this , one handed saw use - but we all know how those lil beasts can cut .... you cannot be too careful - bomb disposal guys will be in exactly same position , you might have de armed thousands but 'that last one ' .... K

[stihlmadasever]

Dont mean to sound like a heartless prick but dont cut at neck height and dont one hand except at full arms reach with the saw at 90° to your body.

Our industry is inherintly dangerous and a simple 'lapse' can end in tragedy but we can significantly reduce the risk of kickback or chainsaw injuries by not one handing.

Ive done it myself so im by no means a smart arse.

 

 

[Khriss]

I pointed out to my boss last month , that the kevlar sleeves the climbers have to wear here ( after a serious arm injury last year ) are pretty much 'admitting' you are using the top-handled chainsaw 'one-handed' and invalidate our insurance . I don't remmeber any allowance under NPTC for single hand chainsaw use unless you are at full reach . K

 

[Mark Bolam]

Tragic.

All I can offer is get into the habit of tucking your chin into your chest when you're cutting.

I'm pretty good at not one-handing, but sometimes needs must when the devil drives.

[tree-fancier123]

 

'I'm dead. I'm dead' - poor bloke, and poor boss. Because of the extreme danger in aerial chainsaw use - it seems not beyond the realms of possibility that a big firm could insist on helmet cam footage of all jobs, if the climbers knew they were recording all their work they may be less likely to one hand near the body. The cost and a durable enough go pro not easy.

the battery toppers maybe not so much kickback, not enough grunt for big wood, but timber out more likely done 'properly' anyhow, not cut and hold, although when the devil drives expect the worst, call the exorcist

 

[richy_B]

 
'I'm dead. I'm dead' - poor bloke, and poor boss.....
 

Yep. Appreciate the climber had it worse but hard to go back to work for the boss after than. Report says his climb to rescue him was slow because of the amount of blood on the branches making slippery. Hellish experience for everyone involved.

[Danavan]

17 hours ago, Rough Hewn said:

Worst nightmare.
Poor guy.
When will there be decent neck protection?
Is it possible?

Neck protection? Work position and respect for the tools used and time taken to do things right imo..

Sad for all involved and the guys family.

Not having a pop at you fella. Just gets my goat all this. Sadly happening  all too often recently....

Edited November 16, 2017 by Danavan
Predictive txt...

[oldwoodcutter]

I’ve been on the other end of a kick backed 200T, very very fortunate in it ended up with chain stopped, flat on my chest.

Makes you contemplate your own mortality, I can tell you that much.

 

[Haironyourchest]

Could make a collar out of old chainsaw jacket sleeve or chap leg with a breakaway cotton seam to prevent strangling if cought. I suppose. Would be ok in cold weather. Thing I wonder is in these kickback to the neck events, has the chain stopped or not? It should, if the inertial break is working, and if so, is the penetration caused by the mass and speed of the stopped chain and bar alone? I wouldn't be surprised, the human neck is a pretty fragile thing. If that's the case then a long weave polyester or Kevlar pad probably wouldn't help much as the blunt trauma alone would be terrible. Maybe a slightly better chance, but probably not worth the trade off in heat and annoyance. What might help is nose guards for the saw, making the saw incapable of kickback, but at the cost of utility. For small diameter branches it might be acceptable though. Maybe use 2 saws, one ultralight protected for pruning, and another for bigger branches?