Personal Protective Equipment-stories/purchases/close calls

Starting this PPE thread after a couple various things members have mentioned. This thread is to tell of a story that PPE saved you, if you bought a piece of ppe and want to show it, a review of PPE you have good or bad, what maintenance you do relating to safety, ect.

 

Just picked up a helmet/visor on the local rummage sale site. Unused, was purchased by wife when a saw was bought for hubby but hubby was too manly to use it. Paid a whole whopping $3 for it. Also dressed up the mushrooming on the wedges tonight.

 

$3? Wow, nice grab.

 

I've always used a full complement of PPE. I explained the importance of PPE and one's safety to my neighbor and he purchased a full set as well. About a month later he learned the value of chaps.

We were felling some dead ash on his place. I had my 661 in the back of the truck and he ask if he could try it. Since I was there I didn't mind him trying it, however, a warning bell should have sounded in my head when he picked it up and said: "Wow! That's heavy!"

He made the down cut of the notch just fine and did great on the bottom cut of the notch, that is, until he pulled the saw out! He misjudged the weight of the saw and it fell across his knee with the throttle partly open. The chaps instantly kicked in and stopped the saw with no injury to his leg, however, his ego was badly damaged.

The safety fiber from the chaps had the clutch locked tighter than a drum, exactly what it is supposed to do. I could have fixed it myself but he insisted on taking it to the shop for repair.

A few days later He returned the saw with a new boxed chain and he also purchased a new set of chaps for himself.

All that was 3 or 4 years ago and his damaged chaps are still nailed to to the wall in the office of his horse barn.

 

I too wear PPE when cutting. Chaps, safety toe shoes, helmet when under anything, glasses & ear plugs in the open, Kevlar backed gloves as well. I have two pair of boots with chain nicks down to the composite toe. Yes it does happen, especially toward the end of the day trying to finish up a job, or just a momentary lapse in concentration. Haven't hit a set of chaps yet though. With the boots, it was oops that was a good pair of boots & continue on. No blood no missing toes & no ER visit. PPE is far cheaper than the time lost & co pay for even a "minor" injury. Saws don't make a nice clean easy to stitch up cut, they rip a nasty tear or worse. Buy it & wear it! Cheapest insurance out there.

 

Few months ago I was dropping a tree, heavy lean to an open area, figured should be fairly easy, had finished the back cut and it was going over only to hit another tree branch beside it.
The tree spun on the stump, slid off and landed perfectly on my foot as I was trying to get out of the way, it slid up my shin but that's about all
Thought for sure foot was broken, but the steel toe took most of it with the shin getting a bit scratched up
People think I'm a bit nuts always wearing work boots but it sure saved me there!
Chaps, I know I should get but....no good excuse to type
Gloves, drive me crazy, don't wear them unless its stupid cold, and even then if I'm working then they come off after a bit

 

I never underestimate what a saw can do, I don't talk when I work with any power tools as I've been bit before while someone is talking
If I'm too tired to concentrate fully on what I'm doing I stop

 

Great idea for a thread! I don’t do a ton of cutting; in fact I don’t really enjoy it all that much. I would rather split and stack. However, when scrounging we can’t pass up what’s available. I always wear ear protection and gloves. I have steel toes but don’t always wear them, even though I know I should. I’ve been thinking seriously about about a helmet and face protection. That’s really cheap insurance . I don’t like making cuts up near my head and face, but I’ve been in a few scenarios where I have had to do so. I am fortunate to have chaps though. A buddy of mine gave them to me this past summer. An old job of his required him to have them, but he never actually needed to use them. I don’t cut without them now. I’ve been lucky and never had an accident, but the possibility never leaves my mind when I’m working with the saw. Stay safe everyone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Chaps are a great idea, I have some but don't always wear them. I don't like the face sheilds but it's the way to go for eye level cutting or feeding a chipper. The " bugz' mesh goggles are nice for working in windy conditions and they do keep the chips out of your eyes. I do wear a hard hat when falling trees, it might just save the day if a limb falls on me. If I cut with friends I will not let them split big rounds with steel wedges. A local guy was killed some years ago by a chunk of steel from a wedge that was mushroomed and the chunk of steel impaled his jugular vein. Sorry for the long post, but there is a lot of ways chainsaws, axes and logs or firewood can kill you.

 

I think the best PPE is awareness. I wear my chaps sometimes, usually out in the woods. Not so much in the back yard anymore. I know I should wear them all the time. ER visit =1000 PPE priceless. Ear protection, safety glasses and leather gloves., I should get a helmet with full face shield though.

 

I always wear ear and eye protection. Always. I usually wear chaps, and sometimes wear a helmet, when felling larger stuff. I have a few nicks on my chaps, nothing dramatic yet, but I know the day is coming.

 

I'm a big proponent of PPE also. My neighbor cut his left arm/wrist a few years ago, nearly severed his radial artery, and that was enough for me. I searched high and low and scoured the iNet for a mesh face guard w/hearing protection to replace the cheap Elvex set I had before which broke apart on me. I ended up ordering these Hellbergs from the UK and really like them. Hellberg Safe 1 Nylon Wire Mesh Visor And Secure 2 Ear Defenders Combination Kit - Fletcher Stewart Ltd

I wear those along w/Labonville chaps, leather gloves, and boots when cutting. I don't do a lot of felling, but if I did I would get the Kask Super Plasma helmet w/the Hellberg face shield and ear muffs.

 

Dad got me chaps when instarI s doing firewood. Took two pair of jeans and some firehose pants getting nicked begbef I started wearing them. That was years ago. Young and dumb. Couldnt even fall a tree. Always on now except climbing trees with poison ivy.

Hard hats saved my butt twice. Mesh visor too. Plugs and muffs. I'm gonna get saw pants when my chaps wear out.

 

One thing to consider is correct size saw for the job
Was using an ms 362 with 20" bar for everything, by the end of the day my arms were shot! Found I would get pretty sloppy with dragging it around. Just bought an 026 for limbing and smaller stuff, waaaaay nicer!!

 

I always wear steel toe boots, I wear em' at work so no big deal cutting. Mostly cause as I cut rounds off my sawbucks I've had many rounds bounce of my toes. I started wearing chaps twenty or so yrs. back. I've knicked them twice limbing whole trees I dropped, the strings stopped the saw pronto. That will make you stop and sweat and think I'll tell you. I won't cut without them now. I wear gloves, too many cuts and splinters over the years. I recently got a helmut with ear muffs, I used to wear just ear plugs. They say if you cut long enough sooner or later your gonna have an accident, it goes for anything, driving etc. Since I have been cutting since 1974, I figure I am not gonna push my luck. As I am going to be 60 yrs soon enough and know my reflexes are slowing down, It's PPE for me.

 

I Can't agree more!
Chaps, Helmet w/face shield, Ear muffs, Gloves and Boots w/safety toe.

 

I have always worn chaps and most of the time a helmet with shield and muffs. I've been fortunate that I have never had any knoticed close calls. And what I mean by that is that my chaps have all sorts of marks and even a few tears on them, next time I am up north I will get a pic of them. I can say that I don't believe that it was ever a chain saw strike, but, if it can cut them, it would have done a number on flesh. They're old and on the list of things needed. But they protect you from more than what is intended.

The helmet took some time to get used to but I honestly don't even notice it now.

 

I always wear ear and eye protection, gloves, boots...but I'll admit I don't even own chaps. 95% of my cutting is just bucking firewood though occasionally I'll take down a manageable tree for friends or family but I know my limits and refuse to push those limits for anyone. I've seen too many bad youtube videos and read too many horror stories of felling. That being said I may put a nice pair of chaps on the Xmas list this year.

When I wear safety glasses I often find I get finer dust irritating my eyes anyway. Do the helmets/shields help prevent this much?

 

I wear hearing protection, chaps, gloves and steel toe boots for cutting logs into rounds. I really don't take down too many trees anymore but I'm looking for a helmet to finish off my PPE collection.

 

I have a family and a church depending on me, and I can't afford the time out of work.
My employer buys me steel toe boots, and I always wear gloves, full helmet and chaps.
I've just caught the chaps twice, it might not have been a real strike, but I'm glad I have them.
Three years ago I was felling a row of trees, the homeowner wanted them gone as they put a shadow over his pool.
They hung toward the pool so I used ropes tied to other trees to fell them all 90 degrees to their natural lean.
One was leaned the wrong way, over the pool and over his shed so I hooked a come a long to the rope.
Once it was notched and released, I cranked in the come a long, but it still wouldn't come far enough to fall.
I had to hang on the rope to pull it over.
I was clear of the trunk, but the outer branches caught me and knocked me down.
My helmet was knocked off, but it saved me from any damage.