Chipper Safety

sawtooth ID

Hello All,

I am in the process of revising our safety plan. In researching chipper related accidents and fatalities the common denominator, in the US, seems to be workers unable to activate the safety features of the machines in time to stop the feed rollers. Our machine is a Rayco RC 12 with a feed capacity of 143' per minute. That breaks down to traveling 6' in around 2 and half seconds, I am only 5'4" and the chipper would process me even more quickly. There just is not enough time to do much of anything. It seems that by simply turning the feed wheel down (on chippers that have feed wheels) we can avoid some of these accidents. The time difference over an hour of chipping operations is nominal and the benefits are undeniable.

Do any of you have any other input as to chipper safety. Thank you in advance for your input.

Also, this is a great site Ekka, made even better by the quality of posts and the contributors.

Brent

osb_mail

143 ft per minute .I own a chipper not sure of the feet per minute but I also work in printing shop as a printing press operator my printing press runs between 315 and 360 feet per minute , it runs faster than most of press in the factory do to quality wanted from customer (low end of the quality).Ok so where i am getting to is 143 fpm is flying for a machine processing large pieces of wood into small chips . It is really only like 2 mph but is fast for what it is doing .What do you guys think would happen if a person did get sucked into chipper would it even cough (sick thought and am sure it has happened )I just think of these things as I am watching a machine print/chip at what seem to be a incredible speed.Sorry did not add anything but wild thoughts to this thread

OutofMytree

Great question Sawtooth and you have come to the right forum for answers. I run a crew feeding a 17" chipper which would suck a man through without even burping. All of my crew are family members including my wife and 17 yo son so you can imagine some of the dark thoughts that occasionally pass through my mind.

My experience with close calls is that reaching in to the feed tray is the single most dangerous and common activity using these machines. I am sad to say I even catch myself doing it from time to time. My new chipper came with a simple tool which has really changed the way we work with this machine. It is a 4 foot pole about 2 1/2 inches in diameter with a square board fitted to one end. Kind of like a short handled broom without the bristles. This push paddle solves the common problem of how to get the last little bits in to the feed rollers which is the #1 cause of the close calls I mentioned.

I have seen many operators standing directly in front of the feed rollers pushing in wood. If it spits a chip or two out they are going to get hit. Stand to one side or the other.

If you feed a branch in and it hooks you up learn to turn away from the chipper and "spin" out of trouble. That is, if the branch is on your left, do not try to pull away but rather turn clockwise away from the branch. It will roll past you and usually release without even damaging your shirt.

DO NOT OPERATE CHIPPERS ALONE. Kind of obvious I know but it still happens daily in my town.

Last of all may sound a little dumb but I am working on a training exercise for grabbing the "last chance" cords that hang in the chipper chute. Ask yourself or any of your team members if they have ever laid face down in the feed tray and tried to quickly grab that 5mm cord. It is no easy feat. Now imagine trying to do that whilst its running and your sleeve is hooked in a branch.... Practise may well be the thing that saves your life.

sawtooth ID

OutofMyTree,

I agree with your assertion concerning feed trays. Your push stick is a great idea and I will have to build one as you described. Limbs are okay but they do lousy job of pushing through smaller material.

I would like to hear more about your emergency training for chippers. We all know the safety features of our machines but activating those features when tangled in branches is another matter. We should train so actions like turning away or pulling the cords are ingrained behavior. The only way to make correct procedures and methods easily remembered in an emergency is to practice.

I hear all the time that tree workers straddle a line between safety and production. I don't think there is a line. There is only safety. If production means sacrificing safety then the situation needs to be remedied. I believe that the best short cut is safe work practices, injuries and accidents erase all benefits of production.

Brent

TrevMcRev

A good here form BC WorkSafe. Show all your operators this as part of their training/induction.

southsoundtree

NO Gauntlet style gloves. Only gloves with cuffs that snug the wrist, like atlas gloves. I was even caught with atlas gripper type gloves, for the first time, by the glove, which was turned inside-out partially. Gauntlet gloves are a danger.

ALWAYS feed from the side, unless you are lifting the tips of the branches without anything behind you.

Feeding from the side allows the operator to use peripheral vision to see the next people coming in to feed. So often the person feeding from the front of the tray are standing there after getting most of the branches in, but messing with small stuff. Meanwhile there is someone with something big that is ready to put into the chipper by the next guy that will easily push through whatever is not fed yet.

Then the person turns around and, OHH someone is right there, now not only am I in the way, I have to figure out where to go.

I've got a chuck and duck, but it works out the same with a disk chipper. Come in pretty straight to the tray, move to one side or the other depending on the situation, feed, and turn away, move out to the side, go back for more.
So if you have the branch to your right side, move to the left side of the chipper, feed, and turn out counter/ anti-clockwise. And Vice Versa.

Be careful of things that can be hooked on branches, such as pockets that are not easily torn away, for example, a Carhart/ denim jacket may be too strong to rip away from the branch easily, but a typical hoodie sweatshirt will rip away. Also beware of hammer loops on work pants.

Another hazard is if you have a carabiner, perhaps for your keys, on your belt loop. If a branch hooks it, it may rip your belt loop and drag a carabiner into the chipper.

Anything loose around the chipper that can be dragged in is a big concern. Especially ropes. Make sure ropes are cleared, generally first and foremost, when stuff comes down. If your climbline could become entangled in the brush, your climber may want to keep it in the tree.

A sharp chipper is easier to operate and safer. Its easier on the machine's bearrings, etc. Be sure you are using high speed bearing grease. While this is intuitive for most people, my ex-boss used steering grease on his vermeer BC1000, and got to pay $2000 for new bearings.

My friend used the speed control to slow his disc chipper, but fed from in front of the tray. He now feeds from the side. Something about a side branch almost pushing him into his chipper. Its pretty hard to get pulled in from the side, over the protective side shields.

ArborealTerror

Another important factor is to assess what you are chipping. Dried out deciduous branches are much better at 'hooking you' than soft green flexible ones. Jarrah (E marginata) is particularly bad for hooking up uperators as the branches tend to appear drooped and soft but in fact are curved and inflexible. When loading branches of this nature rotate them so that their side branches are away from you before dropping into the feed rollers.

Branchless sticks tend to flick up when they hit the rollers, be at least arms length back from the end of the stick when they hit the feed rollers unless you want to support your dentist.

New labourers tend to get hypnotised by the whole chipping thing. They feed in a branch and then stand there watching it dissapear. This behaviour must be discouraged ASAP.

Finally when large blocks go in they tend to hold the feed rollers apart. This allows large chips to fly back out. If you are still in front of the feed tray look down so that they bounce off your helmet rather than your nose.

Reasonably tight fitting clothing, short cuffed gloves, steel capped boots, eye protection, ear protection, helmet and a second person are the minimum safety requirements. Also keep well hydrated - A chipper apron is a bad place to faint.

WEAR ALL PPE
WEAR ALL PPE
WEAR ALL PPE

Garry Brockley

these are the basics for the british health and safety system use all the above they will keep you alive and working http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais38.pdf

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