Can chainsaws be more safe?

[Steve Bullman]

4 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

I know I came across harsh and possibly arrogant but propper training and technique is vital for safe saw use.

 

UK training is a step back into the 1980s coupled with " use that saw as far away fron you as you can".Which causes all sorts of issues.

 

I couldnt get my saw ticket untill I could sharpen free hand. I also had to be assesed on the job and do the job fast enough to pass.All in one year.

 

The year after that I could buck 7 foot thick  logs with a 1% error,on a hillside in the bush.

 

If the quality of the training in the 90s could get a teenager to that level, wtf is the UK playing at?

Things have certainly changed here. When I did my tickets all my assessors were in their 60's and had clearly been working in the woods most of their lives. Saddly they are all dead now. Im comparison to today where I have heard first hand of someone completing a 2 year college course and then staying on at the college at the end of their course as a trainer. Thats not a one off story either.

[Steven1210]

Apologies to butting in here guys...

 

I'm what you may call weekend warrior, diy home owner, or ****************wit.

 

I came on this grand forum, and have received one heck of a lot of info from you guys, both on the boards and via pm.

 

I have no intention in becoming a pro, but am very willing to learn anything I can on the safe use and maintenance of the saw I bought.

 

I looked at doing Cs course but at £700 plus it's a fair few quid.

 

As with most things, proper training and knowledge comes from people in the job with experience, so I was in two minds asking someone local to me to offer my services as a labourer for a day or two, in return for some training.

 

Or am I just pissing in the wind?

 

Ps, I have full ppe including boots, and don't use the saw without it.

 

So hopefully not so much of a ****************wit.😊

[adw]

Fair play to you sir, I hope somebody takes you up on the offer, but please do remember maintenance maintenance maintenance, no point being a good operator if your saw is not in a safe condition, remember the ten mandatory  items on the saw, best of luck to you sir.

[Dendrologen]

22 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Probably this one 

 

 

Aye, this is the one. Stuck with me that did

[Bolt]

2 hours ago, Mike Hill said:

 

If the quality of the training in the 90s could get a teenager to that level, wtf is the UK playing at?

 

Mike, I couldn’t agree more…. But then, I believe you and I were possibly trained in the same era.

 

The idea that you could be trained first, and then disappear into the woods to hone and practice your skills for 6 months, prior to actually getting assessed are long, long gone.

 

Become skilled in one unit, prior to being trained in the next?    Long, long gone.

 

I fear that these days, all industry wants is for individuals to go get tickets as quickly and painlessly as possible, so they can be on site and meeting the ‘compliance’ requirements of the client.

 

Unfortunately ‘compliance’ requires little bits of paper…. It does not require skill, enthusiasm, aptitude or even competence.
 

This is called progress.

[Rich Rule]

1 hour ago, adw said:

…remember the ten mandatory  items on the saw, best of luck to you sir.

Because stickers make you so much more a better user of the saw.  

[5thelement]

3 hours ago, Mike Hill said:

 

UK training is a step back into the 1980s coupled with " use that saw as far away fron you as you can".Which causes all sorts of issues.

This is all wrong. No one trains anyone to “use a saw as far away as you can” that would simply be idiotic. 
One look through the current NPTC schedule would tell you that the assessment candidate needs to be observed operating the saw with the correct stance/ thumbs round the handles/ no part of the body over the saw etc to achieve a pass, what they do at later at work is out of NPTC’s control, but not the employer.

The FCA approached FISA early this year with a proposal to allow candidates to be trained, then defer their assessment whilst being mentored at work, with a logbook to be then completed by the employer.
Cross cutting /snedding/ felling/etc and how many hours completed, when the employer deemed the candidate efficient and up to speed the assessment would be arranged.

I thought it was a great idea, especially in the Forestry sector, but FISA poo-pooed the idea.

[adw]

47 minutes ago, Rich Rule said:

Because stickers make you so much more a better user of the saw.  

Stickers are just one item, after that comment I rest my case about lack of maintenance..

[Pete Mctree]

Training is always an issue. The employer (as the customer of the training companies) has shaped the product. They want an employee to learn as much as they can, in the shorted possible time at minimal cost, so what you get is this current farce of low skilled workers.

 

Alarmingly, the current certification is no longer a certificate of competence & the employer is supposed to assess whether they are fit to carry out a task. Sadly I know of many employers who are not fit to use a saw themselves professionally, never mind dictate to others. 
 

I guess what I am saying it that for me the system is broken, however whist the industry needs staff, trained cheaply and insurable, then that is all the system will ever produce 

[Mike Hill]

I had a bloke work for me once, had done his big tree felling ticket.

 

"How many trees did you fell in that course?" I asked.

 

"Five" he replied.

 

" Five a day?" I said.

 

" No, five in total"