Quote:
Originally Posted by Ekka  Nice pics, plenty of wood there.
I think the only PPE issue that stands out is the helmet.
For ground work lots of guys like to use the face shield/helmet/muff combo.
What about the stump, some-one got a grinder? |
Well, Ekka, I have a helmet system and a face shield with ear muffs, I just didn't feel I needed them since the tree was down already. I always wear the brain bucket when I am limbing or felling, as anyone should. I hope all who read this do also, and good on all of you in this post to make note of it. But it probably is a good idea to wear a helmet when bucking, especially if a kickback were to happen. I make a special effort not to look down the kerf when I am bucking.
The stump is still there. That is a project for next summer.
But about PPE, I had a 30' sycamore in my back yard that was leaning, after a hurricane passed by us in '03. I made my notch, got set for the felling cut, checked the area and my escape path, then when I made the back cut and the tree started to fall, I pulled the saw out and stepped back, and my big old ProMark boot hooked on a root and I fell down. My MS 361 had RS full chisel chain on it, and it came across my left knee as I hit the ground.
I felt a little bee sting, and after I undid the chaps and pulled the mess off of me, I had a bloody spot about 1mm in size on my left kneecap. I am here to tell you that protective chaps are effective at preventing an injury. I hate to even imagine what the extent of my injuries would have been if I had not been wearing them. I do have a set of camo chaps on in the pictures above, if you couldn't tell.
This picture below is from someone else, who got hit by a widow maker during a cut down. He ended up in the hospital with a severe concussion and a dislocated shoulder.
He stated that here again, the extent of his injuries would have probably been fatal if he had not been wearing the helmet.
Nobody plans to have an accident, but we can all go to the effort to wear some protective gear as needed.