Do all professional chainsaw users think joe public users are fools?

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I don't think this thread was ever meant to turn into a 'weeing' contest but it seems to.

NO amount of training or PPE will ever keep you safe without a certain degree of common sence and intelligence.

It's the decision of every person to judge a situation correctly and proceed appropriately.

 

Assuming that you won't ever cut yourself because thus far you have not is fool hardy and naive. I've been using chainsaws professionally for seven years and am still terrified of them. I've seen the photos of when it goes wrong.

 

A training course will fill in more gaps of info than you can imagine because it's run by someone who knows more than you do so maybe Joe Public isn't stupid, but the person who thinks he's an expert based on past chance and good luck is stupid.

[windfall]

One of my clients, a single mum, had a small tree in her garden that she wanted removed. I offered to take it down for her and biscuit it for her but she said no thanks. So she went to B&Q and bought a chainsaw plus a 'starter kit', her elderly neighbour ended up finishing the job for her.

 

I admire her courage and her sense to walk away and ask for help, but i do think that firms like B&Q need to take a bit of responsibility.

[prd]

And now she's leafleted the neighbourhood and gone into partnership with 'Owd Bill' from next door.

 

Now then, seriously, whats the deal with this? Are they breaking the law?

[Andy Collins]

I live in a rural farming area, many people have chainsaws for sorting trees, cutting their firewood etc. How many of them wear ppe..... none. Is this stupid? Not if they dont know better. I try and educate my clients a little about safe saw use, many of them will bring a dull saw out of the shed for me to sharpen, and I will point out the reason why I wear ppe in the course of my job. Should all saw operators require training before using/buying a saw, well I did about 4 or 5 years in my teens before I did a ticket, I knew how to operate it without difficulty.

I think as a trade, we tend to look down our noses at "amateurs", we base our arguments on press cuttings and youtube videos, yet I can think of several experienced members from here who have had horrific injuries with all the ppe, training etc, they were'nt stupid people, they were educated in the safe use of saws.

I do think the retail outlets selling cheap chainsaws should have some responsibility, selling budget ppe such as trousers, boots etc and maybe a 10minute briefing on safe use, with an advisory that training is recommended, but tbh I cant see this happening.

[Recceboy]

I've worked with my friend helping out in his business for years on call outs when he had the council contract etc etc. It wasn't until last year that i choose to do the CS30 course but then i never picked up a saw before hand as I'm not one to use equipment without proper training.

I have common sense and apply it all the time. I just feel that if you have common sense then you can also be blinded by it and feel as though you are doing things correctly. I have a healthy respect of all power tools, equipment that brings a high risk of serious injury. I apply the same to weapons. It's not the equipment it's the person behind the equipment that is dangerous. I've taught countless new recruits weapon handling skills and the correct and safe way to use a rifle, yet i would not pass them on there weapon handling skills as they are still dangerous in my eyes and would not take them on the range. Some people just don't have the skill for manual handling of tools/equipment.

 

It's the same for electrics. I know i could do the job, but choose to call my mate who is a qualified electrician to carry out the work in a safe manner and have peace of mind that the job has been done as safe as possible.

[blazer]

I'm with you on this approach Andy, but I'm different in the fact I have no 'ticket' yet but on a 30/31 course soon, so I have a neutral view on saw safety.

 

I have used saws for 15 yrs and use all the PPE, but I have alot of industrial power tool/ construction engineering experience.

 

I can truely say, I have never seen a 'Pro' working in an unsafe manner but I have seen many 'home' and say 'users with tickets' (estate workers), never using PPE (not even ear defenders) or have a safe approach to trees.

 

So why not more accidents? I can oly assume, like driving alot of people accept life with constant near misses, and appear to 'get away with it' but I believe just like driving it will happen in the end.

 

I have always had a silly saying for safety, 'god looks after us and gives us a few chances to escape injury if we learn and spot our mistakes - but not for ever'

[egnsean]

Out of curiosity how did you know how to use a saw when you first picked one up?

i used to watch other people who had been

around saws for years, then got my own saw and used it very gingerly, still am very carefull and im only useing a ms 181 these days but still treat it with a great deal of respect.

[gensetsteve]

There is a course and a piece of legislation for every action in every business. Soon you will need a ticket to wipe your back side. The basic chainsaw cert is essential for anyone with limited experience if your going to cut one tree or thousands. There is even a course if you use a 4" grinder to repair your kit. Another for a bench grinder. How many people on here have used a hiab without a ticket or test on the crane ???. Large corporations can afford to have their staff on courses, maternity, sick or holiday for 5 months of the year but we run small to medium size businesses. Britain has now out priced itself in the world and large companies are leaving in droves to start up in china.

[blazer]

[quote name=Recceboy;I apply the same to weapons. It's not the equipment it's the person behind the equipment that is dangerous. I've taught countless new recruits weapon handling skills and the correct and safe way to use a rifle' date=' yet i would not pass them on there weapon handling skills as they are still dangerous in my eyes and would not take them on the range. Some people just don't have the skill for manual handling of tools/equipment.

 

.[/quote]

 

Agree, I work P/T on an estate and the people with large cal rifles for so called 'foxing' is really scarry how little they know and gun apptitude. I can't understand how they are allowed to have these weapons, if they were army training tested they would all fail.

 

I have both shotties and rim fires on ticket - I don't need larger cal.

When I started my son off with air-rifles, he also doing weapon handling with the army cadets, so he was safe from the start, we applied the same with chainsaws. It got him into a safe working culture.

[odd_bird]

Hi, my first post:biggrin:, i think this is a very good forum for anyone interested in prosessing their own firewood, however it seems to me the pros out there automatically assume that joe public should never be allowed anywhere near a chainsaw.I myself have and still do use chainsaws without any training to cut firewood and i think i am quite safe doing so, i feel its a bit unfair to tar everyone with the same brush , before i had to finish work (on health grounds) i was in the plant hire game and had to have a fare amount of common sence did some very tricky jobs over the years just useing experence and common sence, would like to here your thorghts, ones again gr8 forum:thumbup:

 

can you remember the first time ever you've used the saw? Did you have all the PPE and did you feel safe? Are you self-taught?

 

I had a neighbour building his own house... Nearly chopped his own head off..The chap used a saw for yonks..He really did 'know' what he was doing too...