{"id":24952,"date":"2023-07-27T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=24952"},"modified":"2023-07-26T14:07:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T18:07:14","slug":"chainsaw-safety-purdue-landscape-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/chainsaw-safety-purdue-landscape-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Chainsaw Safety-Purdue Landscape Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Purdue Landscape Report<\/a>: I have lost count of the number of times I\u2019ve witnessed people working with chainsaws in shorts, a tank top, and flip flops with maybe a pair of earbuds, and it makes me cringe every time.\u00a0 According to the CDC, over 36,000 chainsaw-related injuries a year are reported with annual medical costs of more than $350 million\u00a0(Johnson, 2023).\u00a0 Wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) can help prevent accidents and injuries (Fig. 1).\u00a0 PPE is there to protect you from head to toe and if you are investing in a chainsaw, it doesn\u2019t take much more to invest in the proper PPE.\u00a0 Including a work shirt and pants, if you\u2019re using a chainsaw you should wear protection for your head, eyes and ears, hands, legs, and feet, most of which can be found at your local hardware store or home center.\"Chainsaw<\/a><\/p>\n

Protecting your head means using a helmet, not a baseball cap or bandanna.\u00a0 Depending on the type of work you\u2019re doing there is a risk of being struck by wood or branches or if kickback occurs, sending the chainsaw back towards your head. Safety glasses will help keep sawdust and other debris out of your eyes and should be stamped with Z87.1, showing they conform to ANSI safety regulations.\u00a0 Normal glasses and sunglasses are not rated for being struck and can shatter, sending broken lenses into your eyes.\u00a0 Ear protection can be in the form of plugs or muffs and should be rated to reduce noise to appropriate levels when worn properly.<\/p>\n

Most modern chainsaws have built-in anti vibration technology to reduce fatigue, but having a nice pair of work gloves will still help to protect your hands and grip.\u00a0 Gloves will help protect against debris and are also good to wear for chainsaw maintenance.\u00a0 Although not about PPE, another note on protecting your hands when operating a chainsaw includes the proper use of the chain brake.\u00a0 Injuries can occur on the right hand because operators will remove it from the back handle to activate the chain brake with the palm of their hand and miss it, putting their hand on the still moving chain.\u00a0 Injuries on either hand can happen when one handing a saw while using your other hand to brace or manage what you are cutting and losing control.\u00a0 The chain brake is designed to be engaged by popping your left wrist forward while maintaining a grip with both hands on the handles.<\/p>\n

To protect your legs some form of chaps or chap pants are needed.\u00a0 Prices can range from around $40 for a pair of wrap-chaps that can be worn over your work pants up to around $400 for a high-end pair of chap pants that are a stand-alone work pant replacement.\u00a0 Whichever you choose to wear, the protection should be from the top of your thigh to the top of your foot and wrap around your calf.\u00a0 Care should be taken to keep them clean from gas and oil and if they are ever damaged by a chainsaw, chaps should be discarded and replaced.\u00a0 Once the protective material has been damaged the safety has been compromised.\u00a0 Chainsaw boots are also available to protect your lower legs and feet but are expensive and can be heavy.\u00a0 A sturdy work boot should be worn at the very least while staying alert to how close the chainsaw is coming to you.\u00a0 And please, no open-toed shoes.<\/p>\n

Whatever the task, if you are going to do your own chainsaw work, then I implore you to wear your PPE from head to toe.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s hot and can get uncomfortable, but all it takes is one mistake to send you to the ER.\u00a0 If you feel the job is beyond your capabilities you can always contact an ISA certified arborist at\u00a0Find an Arborist<\/a>\u00a0through the treesaregood.org website.<\/p>\n

To view this full article and other Purdue Landscape Report articles, please visit Purdue Landscape Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe and receive the newsletter: Purdue Landscape Report Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resources:
\n<\/strong>The Purdue Landscape Report<\/a>
\n<\/strong>A Woodland Management Moment<\/a>, Playlist, Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Youtube Channel
\nConservation Tree Planting: Steps to Success<\/a>, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR Youtube Channel
\nForest Improvement Handbook<\/a>, The Education Store
\nFind an Arborist<\/a>\u00a0website, Trees are Good, International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
\nCaring for storm-damaged trees\/How to Acidify Soil in the Yard<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 In the Grow, Purdue Extension
\nMoist soil and rotten roots makes it easy for trees to come crashing down<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Fox 59 News
\nTree Risk Management<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 The Education Store, Purdue Extension\u2019s resource center
\nMechanical Damage to Trees: Mowing and Maintenance Equipment<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 The Education Store
\nTrees and Electric Lines<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 The Education Store
\nTree Support Systems,<\/a>\u00a0The Education Store
\nCorrective Pruning for Deciduous Trees,<\/a>\u00a0The Education Store
\nTree Installation: Process and Practices<\/a>, The Education Store<\/p>\n

Ben McCallister<\/a>, Urban Forestry Specialist
\nPurdue Forestry & Natural Resources<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purdue Landscape Report: I have lost count of the number of times I\u2019ve witnessed people working with chainsaws in shorts, a tank top, and flip flops with maybe a pair of earbuds, and it makes me cringe every time.\u00a0 According to the CDC, over 36,000 chainsaw-related injuries a year are reported with annual medical costs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,42,45,52,54,622],"tags":[1814,1815,60,895,408,410],"class_list":["post-24952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alert","category-forestry","category-howto","category-safety","category-wildlife","category-woodlands","tag-chainsaw-safety","tag-chainsaws","tag-forestry","tag-purdue-landscape-report","tag-trees","tag-urban","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-22 00:36:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24952"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24987,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24952\/revisions\/24987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}