Safety Helmet

[New boots]

Ok so I this week I had a little accident ... after telling our new Groundie not to walk under the felling zone when our climber is cutting I did just that ,chipper running ear defs on climber just topped a 60ft conifer . It hit my helmet first pushing my chin into my chest and I just collapsed underneath it. My injuries bruised nose and eye socket caused by the helmet, bruised shoulders and back caused by the helmet ,(feels like whip lash) and left ankle folded not broken but cant walk because of ligament damage...I was lucky.

I was wearing a climbing helmet not a ground helmet . the climbing helmet has a chin strap and I believe this caused my back and neck injury's  a ground helmet I believe would have taken the blow then slid off , if that makes sense... just wondered how may of you do ground work with a climbing helmet because we climb mostly  or have two lids ground and climbing ??

[Steve Bullman]

I rarely did much groundwork but on the odd occassion I did I used to wear my climbing helmet.  I wouldn't do the chin strap up, not for any particular safety reason but just because it wasn't necessary.  Don't know if this would have made a different in an incident like yours.

 

Mend quick mate, could have been a lot worse!

[stihlmadasever]

I think it would be difficult to say if a ground helmet would have been better.

Your alive,your injuries will heal in time.

Reminder of how a little lapse in concentration can end in a serious accident.

Get yourself well mate all the best

[AHPP]

While in danger of being boring on this subject, I wear my chin strap all the time, ground or tree. Firstly, I think it's a good habit to be in so I don't forget to do it climbing and drop it out of a tree. Secondly, if one thing falls on your head, there's a good chance a second thing might fall on your head. Thirdly, if you get thrown, swung or whatever, you want the helmet strapped to you so it doesn't fly off before your head lands on whatever it's going to land on (there's a great video of an experienced faller (Pacific North West, North America I think) getting caught out and kicked miles by a barber chair or something - his helmet flies off as he gets launched across the screen like a rag doll).

I get the argument about it slipping off potentially doing your neck a favour but I think the three things I've listed are more likely to help you than that one thing.

 

I'm genuinely interested in why a lot of people believe no strap is better on the ground, besides a very minor improvement in comfort and the neck injury issue the OP mentions. I think a lot of people just think it looks silly or is unrealistically anal. I should probably ask Pfanner or Husky (and probably other manufacturers/branders of gear) about it because they both specifically do "Forestry" helmets without chin straps.

[WesD]

Get well soon, personally prefer climbing lid but like Steve don’t fasten the strap when on the floor. 

 

I believe comms should be compulsory now in tree work and if you had a direct link to your climber who knows he could have told you he was topping it out before he did so and you wouldn’t have been where you where. 

 

I wont work without them now to the point even when I sunny climb I take 2 comms kits. 

[AHPP]

54 minutes ago, WesD said:

Get well soon, personally prefer climbing lid but like Steve don’t fasten the strap when on the floor. 

 

I believe comms should be compulsory now in tree work and if you had a direct link to your climber who knows he could have told you he was topping it out before he did so and you wouldn’t have been where you where. 

 

I wont work without them now to the point even when I sunny climb I take 2 comms kits. 

Comms are the one thing I always end up discussing with tree blokes. I don't believe anything should be compulsory but I do believe you're mad if you're not using them. For a paltry £30 a helmet, you're making everything a lot safer and absolving yourself from a lot of liability. Not to mention how much easier, more efficient and less stressful everything is with them.

There's nothing preventing people from looking up while using them of course. Even I do sometimes.

Edited June 2, 2018 by AHPP

[WesD]

21 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Comms are the one thing I always end up discussing with tree blokes. I don't believe anything should be compulsory but I do believe you're mad if you're not using them. For a paltry £30 a helmet, you're making everything a lot safer and absolving yourself from a lot of liability. Not to mention how much easier, more efficient and less stressful everything is with them.

There's nothing preventing people from looking up while using them of course. Even I do sometimes.

Yep agree, nothing better than having a conversation and speaking all things tree like your next to each other except your not. 

[Mark J]

Glad you're alright OP.  Always be looking up on a live tree, comms or not, there could be unexpected deflections of timber and/or hangars. Tree work is a dynamic process that requires the use of all senses.

 

I wouldn't use a chin strap on the ground for the reasons above.  Your helmet shouldn't be in danger of falling off without the chin strap.  If it is, it's not adjusted properly.

[Darrin Turnbull]

Nasty shock , nice to hear its not a serious injury . 

I always use my chin strap otherwise i find while looking up my helmet would fall off.

And before i top or drop anything heavy i need to know where the people on the ground are.