Abstract

KEITH, S. L. 1985. Chainsaw safety: what you don‘t know can hurt you. Am. Forests 91 (9):22-27, 62-63.

Gone are the days when the only ones operating chainsaws were those burly loggers of the north woods, professional Paul Bunyans who cut their teeth on wood chips and slash piles. Today a host of ranchers, farmers, and suburbanites have swollen the ranks of chainsaw users, and the tool has become a common sight in many a garage and tool shed. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission‘s (CPSC) most recent report, about 35,000 injuries involving chainsaws were treated in emergency rooms in 1976. The number fluctuated somewhere around 63,000 between 1978 and 1982, and was projected to be 69,000 for 1983. Dealing with kickback is the name of the game. And while the potentially deadly phenomenon goes with the territory, each individual manufacturer has worked long and diligently in addressing the problem. Chain brakes seem the common answer, along with asymmetrical guide bars and low-kick chains. Although kickback causes the most serious injuries, other hazards are faced by those who take a chainsaw into their hands. Front handguards protect against accidental encounters with a moving saw chain. Rear handguards keep knuckles from being slapped by loose or broken chains, and chain catchers serve to restrain a flailing chain. The throttle lockout is a sort of chainsaw “parking brake” designed to prevent accidental ignition. Bumper spikes on the front of the engine or motor housing are meant to grip the wood and help hold the saw in place during cutting. Antivibration systems absorb engine and cutting vibrations, lessening operator fatigue.

• Copyright © 1986, International Society of Arboriculture. All rights reserved.