Might be worth reading "Chainsaws At Work" - http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg317.pdf
Clearly states: "Anyone who uses a chainsaw at work should have received adequate training and be competent in using a chainsaw for that type of work. The training should include:
- dangers arising from the chainsaw itself;
- dangers arising from the task for which the chainsaw is to be used; and
- the precautions to control these dangers, including relevant legal requirements"
And under the section Use of chainsaws in tree work
"‘All workers who use a chainsaw should be competent to do so. Before using a chainsaw to carry out work on or in a tree, a worker should have received appropriate training and obtained a relevant certificate of competence or national competence award, unless they are undergoing such training and are adequately supervised. However, in the agricultural sector, this requirement only applies to first-time users of a chainsaw.’
This means everyone working with chainsaws on or in trees should hold such a certificate or award unless:
- it is being done as part of agricultural operations (eg hedging, clearing fallen branches, pruning trees to maintain clearance for machines); and
- the work is being done by the occupier or their employees; and
- they have used a chainsaw before 5 December 1998.
In any case, operators using chainsaws for any task in agriculture or any other industry must be competent under PUWER 98."
NOTICE THE WORD - "should", as in "should be competent", "should hold a certificate" etc etc
DID YOU KNOW - over a third of small business owners have never heard of PUWER 98?
Compare this with drink driving, where you MUST NOT exceed the blood alcohol limit. Compare with speeding, where you MUST NOT exceed a certain speed. Driving without due care and attention, where you MUST NOT use a mobile phone when driving, etc etc. And then compare the penalties.