Typically when an old hand gets hurt its because something changes but instead of stopping and taking 10-20 minutes to evaluate the hazard and how to mitigate it, he just plows right ahead and gets bit.
Typically? Bull. Occasionally? Maybe. But typically? No way.
If you're cutting an old fir snag, say 150 feet tall, and it has a lot of rotten limbs that could break off, fall down, and bonk you on the head you spend a lot of time looking up...or you should anyway.
But, knowing that danger is above you, you go ahead and cut anyway. That's your job and you damn well better do it. Or
don't do it and go home because you probably won't have a job anymore. But somebody is going to cut that tree.
Those rotten brittle limbs and the fact that they can fall is part of the risk you assume. It's a very common situation and the risk, although constant, isn't unusual. You sized the tree up, realized the risk, accepted it and cut the tree. That's the job.
But if a faller took "10-20 minutes to evaluate the hazard" there still wouldn't be any way to mitigate it. You cut, you be aware of the hazards, you look up, and you stay light on your feet and ready to move.
No old timer that I know, and I know a few, who made a career out of working in the woods will just "plow right ahead" without being very aware of his risks. And you know what? They still get hurt occasionally through no fault of their own. Sometimes they get killed.
You cannot defend yourself against every possible dangerous thing that can happen. Evaluate all you want. Mitigate whenever you can. It might help but it's sure no cure.
But don't ever make the mistake of thinking that every injury or every fatality is somebody's fault. Occasionally whatever entity that decides such things unbuttons it's pants and, laughing, pisses all over the pillar of science.
I'm not saying that loggers don't make mistakes. They do. And some don't survive their mistakes. But sometimes things just
happen.
