chainsaw in climbers neck

In the video, when the climber is cutting the piece in the tree he is using a top handled saw. Both hands are not properly gripping the saw. A top handle saw is not practical for this work. The wood is too big for this and there is more stress on the forearm and wrist. A rear handled saw would be much better A rear handle saw offers much better leverage to prevent kickback with proper hand positioning.
 
allmark said:
In the video, when the climber is cutting the piece in the tree he is using a top handled saw. Both hands are not properly gripping the saw. A top handle saw is not practical for this work. The wood is too big for this and there is more stress on the forearm and wrist. A rear handled saw would be much better A rear handle saw offers much better leverage to prevent kickback with proper hand positioning.
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in addition, i like to use a saw with a bar longer than the diameter of the wood i am cutting as much as possible, both to save the time of needing to maneuver around the tree but also so the bar tip is clear of any wood that it could grab and cause kickback with. Its all those little things that when they add up, problems happen.

-Steven
 
John_KAYS said:
Can all of these be true?

Taken from various video accounts of this accident:

“A coworker had to climb the tree to get him down”


“He held the chainsaw in place with his right hand while hugging the tree with his left to descend”


“Coworkers controlling the rope lowered him gently to a sitting position on the ground.”


Also get this:
“He was cutting at an unusual angle to avoid power lines…”
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John, the important thing to remember there (as I'm sure you know), those were a newscaster's regurgitated words and not necessarily the words of the workers. The news will sensationalize and screw up a story in a heartbeat.
 
TreeLogic said:
John, the important thing to remember there (as I'm sure you know), those were a newscaster's regurgitated words and not necessarily the words of the workers. The news will sensationalize and screw up a story in a heartbeat.
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Exactly! It just goes to show that you can't really tell what happened from those little bits of food choked back up to satisfy us, yet most of the time that's all we get.
 
That's a point that I've been trying to make to TCIA, ISA and OSHA. We can't begin to reduce the numbers of incidents in our industry without clear information and analysis of accidents to help identify the problems.
 
I have a scar on the back of my left thumb from 6 stitches when I got careless with a saw. I will get around to posting it in awakenings one day, but it is an ever constant reminder to me. It was that one time that I got complacent and bad things happened. But for what it was "just a mere flesh wound" with no nerve muscle or bone damaged... I, in a way, appreciate it for what it is.
 
my single chainsaw scar came from me getting frustrated in a tree full of vines (prune job). the saw wasn't even running. i grabbed some vines to yank out of the tree, the saw was hung up in vines behind me, and not knowing it was there, I dragged the back of my hand hard across the teeth. pretty nasty cut considering it wasn't running. of course I can sharpen 'em like nobody's business :D
 
Wow, I am cringing at the thought of that TL. That's almost worse in my mind than if the saw was running (of course not really). I cut my finger while sharpening a chain once. The cut a single tooth makes is painful and nasty enough by itself. It's not a fun cut to live with.

I've stuck a hand saw into myself a couple times.
 
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Yeah, I have a slight calcified ridge on my patella from a sudden follow through. Also, I was going to say in one of the other threads but never got around to it: I am sure vines are a leading cause of accidents in our industry. Just from the frustration alone! Although, everything about a vine is an accident waiting to happen.
 
Never had trouble with watermelon vine in trees. Grape, now that's a different story. That stuff gets as big as your leg around here. Ours is called Muscadine http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscadine

Then there's Virginia creeper, wisteria, trumpet vine, and English ivy (probably the hardest to make let go)
We need a vine thread. Would make it much easier to search for later.
 
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