Health and safety legislation

[the crafty weasel]

just because you mentioned gloves, I thought I'd post this...

 

I never wear chainsaw gloves, I am self employed so as far as I'm aware I'm not breaking any rules just guidelines. I do have a pair that live in the truck, but they very rarely see use only when I'm working with someone I haven't worked with before and want to show H+S awareness.

 

Why? A significant amount of my work is with blackthorn/hawthorn, gorse and bramble - hedgelaying and scrub clearance. I have yet to find a pair of chainsaw gloves that can last for any amount of time. To my mind, it's more of a risk if my hands are constantly getting torn up then I'm more likely to get some sort of infection or lose control of the saw. And if I was buying a £20 pair of chainsaw gloves every week to replace the old pair, that's yet another expense I can't really afford at the moment!

 

I do wear all other PPE, and wouldn't have someone work for me who didn't. But, I couldn't care less if you wear proper gloves or not.

 

hope this helps...

 

I quite agree. I use powertool gloves when I'm using my chainsaw for the simple reason that I've met more arb workers with white finger than I have who have hurt the back of their left hand with a stray chain.

[jrose]

I do wear thick leather gloves if that's what you mean, what I was trying to say is I go for gloves that are resistant to thorns as opposed to those with cut protection...

 

I haven't ever found a pair of gloves that have both cut protection and thick enough to withstand thorns, the palms especially seem to give way at the sight of a thick clump of bramble!

[the crafty weasel]

I do wear thick leather gloves if that's what you mean, what I was trying to say is I go for gloves that are resistant to thorns as opposed to those with cut protection...

 

I haven't ever found a pair of gloves that have both cut protection and thick enough to withstand thorns, the palms especially seem to give way at the sight of a thick clump of bramble!

 

Sorry I should have made it clear that i was agreeing with the last line- 'I couldn't care less if you don't have proper gloves'

[jrose]

sounds like we're in agreement crafty weasel there are more risks to the hands then simply being cut by the saw, and these aren't always taken into account by H+S!

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

People in offices inventing needless unworkable regulations with no practical experience at all.

[Shane]

What would you need to be doing to hit the back of your left hand with the chain anyway?

I agree that vibration induced diease and the aggressive bits of the plants/trees we work on are far more of a safety issue.

 

During 1975, for a few months, the safety legislation actually stated that grinding wheels must be fully enclosed!

So why are people cynical?

[shabz1978]

i never wear gloves at all! maybe occasionally if its cold or im working with thorn. but never chainsaw protective gloves. I dont relly like being told i have to wear all round protective trousers for climbing either. i'm very particular about my working position and cant remember a single occasion where the back of my legs were at risk.

MEWPS too. why wear chainsaw protective trousers in a mewp? surely a jacket would make more sense.

[the crafty weasel]

i never wear gloves at all! maybe occasionally if its cold or im working with thorn. but never chainsaw protective gloves. I dont relly like being told i have to wear all round protective trousers for climbing either. i'm very particular about my working position and cant remember a single occasion where the back of my legs were at risk.

MEWPS too. why wear chainsaw protective trousers in a mewp? surely a jacket would make more sense.

 

I can see the sense in chainsaw trousers in a MEWP, cos more often than not you do a bit of groundsaw work when clearing up afterwards, and if you spent most of the day in the MEWP, no one would bother putting on protective trousers just to tidy up, the same way that fencing contractors keep their chainsaw trousers stuffed behind the seat of the pickup because the only use the saw for a few minutes at a time.

[blazer]

ok in my opinion the focus on chainsaw training is fine but for me the real danger is the tree itself. On the estate I work on all the guys have taken 'training' but once over never wear any PPM, so it's not habbit formng training or seam to know how to approach a difficult tree job, so for me the risk is still there for an accident as before training.

 

The real danger is the focus on the chainsaw and not on the 'physics' of the tree. Being an engineer by training, and working on heavy engineering construction; rolling mills, ships, high voltage construction etc, I transfer that experience/training into assessing the forces involved in the tree and the release of energy on felling and removal, ok pylons don't have a fungus problem - so for me trees are far more dangerous to access.

 

So for me I started with the physics, then the engineering learnt from experienced men/college. I couldn't face learning by,as my son calls it 'death by powerpiont' and alot of the modern training (not just tree work) seams to be detailed in a way that covers from legal action for managers from the HSE.

 

Not that I'm against the HSE - working in the early 70's was dangerous.

[likeitorlumpit]

For what it's worth we use welding gauntlets when working with thorns- They'rs not waterproof but are pretty thorn proof and only £2.50 each