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Safety precautions for chain saw operators
While operating the chain saw please observe the
following rules:
a) Contact of the guide bar nose with any object
should be avoided.
b) Tip contact may cause the guide bar to move
suddenly upward and backward, which may cause
serious or fatal injury.
WARNING!
Read and follow all safety precautions in the
operator’s manual. Failure to follow instructions could
result in serious injury. It is recommended to lend
the chain saw only to people who are experienced
in working with chain saws. Always hand over the
Operator’s and Safety Manual.
WARNING!
This chain saw is capable of severe kickback that
could result in serious injury to the operator. Do not
operate this chain saw unless you have extraordinary
cutting needs and experience in and special training
for dealing with kickback.
Chain saws with significantly reduced kickback
potential are available.
Kickback safety precautions
WARNING!
Kickback may occur when the nose or tip of the guide
bar touches an object, or when the wood closes in
and pinches the saw chain in the cut. Tip contact
in some cases may cause a lightning-fast reverse
reaction, kicking the guide bar up and back toward
the operator. Pinching the saw chain along the top
of the guide bar may push the guide bar rapidly
back toward the operator. Either of these reactions
may cause you to lose control of the saw, which
could result in serious personal injury. Do not rely
exclusively upon the safety devices built into your
saw. As a chain saw user, you should take several
steps to keep your cutting jobs free from accident or
injury.
a) With a basic understanding of kickback, you
can reduce or eliminate the element of surprise.
Sudden surprise contributes to accidents.
b)
Keep a good firm grip on the saw with both hands,
the right hand on the rear handle and the left hand on
the front handle, when the engine is running. Use a
firm grip with thumbs and fingers encircling the chain
saw handles. A firm grip will help reduce kickback and
maintain control of the saw. Don’t let go.
c) Make sure that the area in which you are cutting
is free from obstructions. Do not let the nose of
the guide bar contact a log, branch, or any other
obstruction that could be hit while you are operating
the saw.
d) Cut at high engine speeds.
e) Do not overreach or cut above shoulder height.
f) Follow the manufacturer’s sharpening and
maintenance instructions for the saw chain.
g) Only use replacement bars and chains specified by
the manufacturer or the equivalent.
Additional safety precautions
The following additional safety precautions must be
observed by all users of chain saws:
- A chain saw is intended for two-handed use. Do not
operate a chain saw with one hand! Serious injury
to the operator, helpers, bystanders may result from
one-handed operation.
-
When a chain saw is being used, a fire extinguisher
should be available.
- Follow the instructions in your operator’s manual for
starting the chain saw and control the chain saw with
a firm grip on both handles when it is in operation.
Keep handles dry, clean, and free of oil or fuel
mixture.
- Do not operate a chain saw when you are fatigued.
Fatigue causes carelessness. Be more cautious
before rest periods and towards the end of your shift.
- Personal protective clothing required by your safety
organizations, government regulations, or your
employer should be used. At all times when using a
chain saw, snug-fitting clothing, protective eyewear,
safety footwear, and hand, leg, head and hearing
protection should be worn.
Note: Personal protective clothing should meet the
requirements of applicable CSA and BNQ
Standards.
- Use caution when handling fuel. Before fuelling,
servicing, or transporting your chain saw, switch off
the engine. To help prevent fire, restart your chain
saw at least 3 m (10 ft) from the fuelling area.
- Keep other persons or animals a safe distance away
from a running chain saw or the area where a tree is
being felled.
- Always keep proper footing and operate the chain saw
only when standing on a fixed, secure, and level surface,
and a planned retreat path from the falling tree.
- Keep all parts of your body away from the saw chain
when the engine is running.
- Before you start the engine, make sure that the saw
chain is not contacting anything.
- Carry the chain saw by the front handle with the
engine stopped, the guide bar and saw chain to the
rear, and the muffler away from your body.
- When transporting, storing or not in use, always use
the appropriate guide bar cover. It must fit and fully
cover the guide bar on the chain saw.
- Never operate a chain saw that is damaged or
improperly adjusted or that is not completely and
securely assembled. Be sure that the saw chain
stops moving when the power control system trigger
is released. Never adjust the guide bar or saw chain
when the engine is operating.
- Shut off the engine before setting the chain saw down.
- Use extreme caution when cutting small-size brush
and saplings because slender material may catch the
saw chain and be whipped toward you or pull you off
balance.
- When cutting a limb that is under tension, be alert for
spring back so that you will not be struck when the
tension in the wood fibers is released.
- When felling, keep at least two tree lengths away
from other persons or animals.
- Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning. Operate the
chain saw in well-ventilated areas only.
- Allow your chain saw to cool before refuelling, and do
not smoke.
- Do not attempt a pruning or limbing operation in a
standing tree unless specifically trained to do so.
- All chain saw service, other than the items listed in
the operator’s manuals maintenance instructions,
should be performed by competent chain saw service
personnel. (For example, if improper tools are used
to remove the flywheel or if an improper tool is used
to hold the flywheel in order to remove the clutch,
structural damage to the flywheel could occur and
subsequently could cause the flywheel to burst.)
-
This gas-powered saw is classified by CSA as a
Class 1A saw. It is a professional chain saw, intended
for use by trained workers, where the operator is
expected to use the chain saw for extended periods
of time on a daily basis.
- Hold the chain saw by the insulated gripping surface
only, because the saw chain may contact hidden
electrical wiring.
