# The toll is too great....



## Bermie (Nov 16, 2008)

I'm duplicating a post I made on another forum this evening, their accident forum is a role of horror, as is one in the UK, and OZ has it's too...
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Oh Lordy, I don't know where to begin...

I've been away for a while, just reading the toll of career ending injuries, deaths and disfigurements, not only here but on several other forums as well, covering the US, OZ and the UK.

I'm wiping the tears from my eyes, and send my heartfelt prayers to those affected.

Cut lines, crushed, electrocuted...its just not right and professionals too.

I was working today with a group of volunteers, clearing invasives in a new nature reserve in preparation for four days work with more volunteers next week. It's not my job site, I'm just a sub.
I turned up, hi viz shirt, chaps, chainsaw boots, gloves, helmet system, first aid kit on my belt...I overheard someone muttering, 'overkill'...
Of the other cutters, one was a young man I trained, he was wearing his chainsaw pants, the spare pair I sold him for $50, and his helmet system...he works full time in the industry has a 1 month old baby girl and works to live another day thank God.

Of the other chainsaw operators (all ground work), 
-one in shorts and boots and a poulan, ear defenders
-one with two new knees, crocs, ear defenders and a 200t (he's got so many scars from his saw...) 
-two with jeans, a homelite and a poulan (full time landscapers loaned for the day),NO ppe... 
-one with jeans, ear defenders and a stihl with a 25" bar. 
Oh yes, a big ass chipper as well, two feeding (they had half a clue) but the chute pointing where three people were working, none with eye protection.....

I'm not in any way trying to compare pros and volunteers, and I KNOW sometime crap happens that is just freaky and unpredictable, true accidents, but those ones are rare, but I will tell a tale of a meeting I was at six weeks ago in Australia.
I was lucky enough to attend the Queensland Arborists Association's Arbor Camp, after the safety inspection of all climbing equipment, there was a gathering before the climbing and fun started. 

A gentleman by the name of Phil Smallwood rolled into the hall, yes, in a wheelchair. He gave about a half hour talk on safety...he used to be a climber, he fell out of a tree when his carabiner rolled open, he is paralyzed from the waist down. 
This made a HUGE impression on me, a career or life ending accident can happen in a split second, and too many people take too many shortcuts or shrug off safety as too hot, to 'uncool', too slow. (I'm not in any way implying that the horrible accidents here on the forum were caused by indifference, I was not there to see) 

But Phil's catchphrase that I WILL work by even if I look like the safety geek is:

" Work in such a way to give yourself the chance to live the life you WANT to, not the life you HAVE to.", he said. "I am living the life I have too, in a wheelchair."

God bless and protect us all, wear your ppe, think twice, cut once, tie in twice...AND LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT TO!!!


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## grandpatractor (Nov 16, 2008)

You covered it well at the end there. Good post Bermie


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## TimberMcPherson (Nov 16, 2008)

I let all my clients know that I will give them free instruction, let them borrow PPE on weekends, ANYTHING to make that new in box poulan less of a danger to all involved. I gave one of my clients 4 types of hell when I found out he nicked himself and his 12 year old daughter while cutting wood up. I told his wife to call me should he get the saw out again if he hasnt seen me first. Unbelievable.


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## Booshcat (Nov 16, 2008)

Great Post.....
Right where it belonged.
Sometimes it's fun to watch the pissin matches on this board,
but we could all use a good slap once in a while to realize what's really important in the big picture.


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## 046 (Nov 16, 2008)

great post! 

this mirrors my last experience with my boy scout troop. 

it was a volunteer project needing chainsaws to clear out ice storm damages. I was cooking for the event and couldn't do much chainsaw work. 

had a bit of time before cooking started, so went down to help with my 046. naturally geared with all my PPE before cutting. 

polan type saws all over with one husky 455 being the largest saw (all with dull chains). not a stitch of protective gear anywhere except on me. everyone looked at me ... muttering overkill... while I was thinking ... DANGER DANGER DANGER!!

everyone was operating their chainsaws next to each others with kids running all over. naturally the first thing I did was to back off all the boys to a safe distance. but it's hard to tell the other dads what to do. 

all I got to say .... sure glad no one got hurt by the end of the day... at least the dad with the husky 455 asked about my chaps...


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## Ghillie (Nov 16, 2008)

Very good post.

I try to follow Phil's phrase in every aspect of my life. My profession, my business and my pastimes.

Be safe!

Fred


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## jomoco (Nov 16, 2008)

After you've been in this biz long enough, you learn to appreciate that a huge med-kit, complete with arm and leg air splints, tourniquets, and breakdown aluminum stretcher, can actually save the lives of your co-workers.

This is a dangerous profession, stay at it long enough, and you'll have a huge med-kit too, and you'll use it.

Get a good emergency trauma guide that goes into detail about things like sucking chest wounds and how to deal with them.

I've been up to my elbows in other peoples blood in this biz, and none of them have gotten away with dying on me yet, knock on wood.

Good thread.

jomoco


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## LarryTheCableGuy (Nov 16, 2008)

Hooray Bermie! 

I have always been a fan of PPE, especially eyes & ears. Those two apply to so many tasks and those sensory parts are especially difficult to do without.

Chaps, boots as well as precautions and procedures are important too.

.


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## treemandan (Nov 16, 2008)

Here, in the Civilized World, you would be hard pressed to find those in charge passing out chainsaws to volunteers... much less to let them bring thier own. I would not have participated in that fiasco. Everybody just itching to get dem R's up and do some CUTTIN! How does the order go on "Things that make you want to hold, own and cherish"?
1. One's self
2. a gun
3. a chainsaw
The risk is diminished by the prospect itself.

I always looked at my profession as one would look at James Caan in Rollerball. I just can't help it.
I heard it once said " We get hurt, that's part of it" when refering to the job. I couldn't disagree with that really though I tried.
You are a statistic waiting to happen, keep that in mind and you might do allright. And it will happen, it has to. When you walk- you trip. Why? I bet half of the guys who showed up for that volunteer work got hurt tryiing to just get it started, the other half got hurt gettin out of bed. I am sorry, that's no way to talk about volunteers... from what you desecribe, Bermie, more like " Death Marchers". You know, one has NO RIGHT to drag regualr folks into this. Volunteers? Chainsaws? Was it Sunday?
Best to be ready. To be honest, this game shouldn't be played by people who don't obsess over it. You have to know all the avenues, its like trying to rob a bank! Lots of preperation then the hit with a couple of " plan B's. I know I would hate to have the getaway car stall.
One man might rationalize that he is safe cause he is one man and as long as he keeps up he is O K. He might say" I will never cut my rope and he may never do BUT that is just what one man says. There are tons of us, all at once. 

I stopped looking everything like you would if you were running a business when it comes to living nicely versus disfigurement or death. If I didn't I would have open an ice cream stand. 
It is " Rollerball" for me. From what I have seen that is what it is for a lot of us. I tend to keep my helmet strapped down on the field though.


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## Adkpk (Nov 16, 2008)

The two most dangerous things I've done in my life are driving a car and flying in an airplane. Third would be running a chainsaw. 

Some time off seems to have cleared your head out Bermie, good thread.


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## Nailgunner (Nov 16, 2008)

+1

good post. Too many people think they'll get away with it because they got away with it last time. Most of the time it's true, then one day it isn't, and that's the end of them. While all accidents aren't down to stupidity, many are down to even small amounts of carelessness. The result is the same, and it can be dreadful.


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## Bermie (Nov 16, 2008)

Thank guys,

Well tomorrow is day one, I will start it off with a verbal risk assessment for the volunteer brush draggers, (they will not be operating machinery) at least to keep them away from the saws and chippers. My risk assessment will be written and logged and I have made my point with the people in charge. We don't have a culture of litigation here, basically if you do something stupid it's your own fault...

The Vol. brush draggers will be issued with ear plugs, told to stay 10" away from saw operators and the chippers watch their footing...At least the chipper operators are professionals and anyone operating a saw is there because they want to be...

Because we have no standards here, the landscapers who are loaned to the job will do what they want with their saws, I just pray I don't need to use my first aid kit. 

Yo, Adkpk, I was up in an ultralight on my vacation, a Sting ultralight (czeck republic manufacture) VERY cool, but I would rather climb trees with a chainsaw than take a pilot's licence!!!! My hubby has a sport pilot licence...not me!

Yo Dan...no-one is passing out chainsaws to people, they own them themselves, when the call goes out for volunteers, out they come. One fellow is a mentor of mine, we would not HAVE a conservation mentality here if it it wasn't for him, flip, he's 71, (the guy with new knees) he'll drop dead one day doing conservation work and the world will be a sadder place without him, but OMG, the way he uses a saw....the stories go back 20 years, he's like a cat on steroids...90 lives!

No matter where you find yourself, please pass on the safety mentality, whether by conversation or example, make it a fact of life, nothing to be ashamed of, rather a point of pride and a badge of professionalism.

Stay safe,

the Bermie in Bermuda


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## Gologit (Nov 22, 2008)

Great post. Good luck with your volunteers. Their hearts are in the right place...you just have to get the rest of them on track.


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## woodguy105 (Nov 23, 2008)

Good thread...When I first started cutting firewood I felt like I was out of place with chaps, face shield, helmut,ear protection. Then I started researching chainsaw saftey accidents etc....I don't cut anything without PPE that's my rule. 

Like I said to my wife at the state fair a few years back when she wanted to see how long i could go on the mechanical bull I said "babe, I won't be much good to you with a broken neck". 

Too much to risk to not make an effort to stay in one piece IMO.


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## Bigus Termitius (Nov 24, 2008)

Safety everyday keeps the doctor away!

Homerun, Bermie!


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