This is if you have a policy on using earplugs.

[duartebigmex]

Got one question.

Last week i got a question from one of the trimmers.

He was ?ing our policy of using earplugs while running a saw in the tree.

It went something like this;

What if somebody is calling you from the ground to stop cutting a you can't hear him.
That's his reason on not wearing them what are your views guys.

 

[dayman]

ANSI Z133 and OSHA have more concrete answers

 

[Manco]

I would imagine that continuous exposure to loud noise will make it hard for him to hear anything.

 

[clearance]

Hardhat with earmuffs and facescreen all the time using a chainsaw. And leg protection if you on the ground. Manco is right.

 

[MasterBlaster]

So in another way, what you're saying is a deaf person couldn't safely perform as a treeworker?

 

[Manco]

I'm sure a deaf person could be a good tree person. Just never HEARD of one.
Talking about ear-plugs reminded me of a guy I worked with years ago. We took some big limbs out of an oak tree. Had to cut the big pieces in firewood and chip the limbs. He cut the big pieces too short and the boss asked me why he cut them so short. I was working on another tree and said, I don't know. By this time co-worker was chipping when boss yelled to him from across street. He came over and received one of the many a$$-chewings of his career,(with his earplugs in) when boss finished he said "If you can't hear me take them g. d. earplugs out of your ears" Co-worker assured him that he heard him. After boss left, co-worker said," I don't know why he thought I couldn't hear him, I heard him from across the street with the chipper going!"

 

[Shaun Bowler]

This is a question I have wondered about. To be a good "tree worker", you have to be aware of your "space" always. Chipping brush ,falling, whatever...
My hearing is not what it was. However, if a groundy wants my attension, I dont find myself ever so focused on what I am doing at the moment in my space; that I won't hear a warning. It is probably why I still do what I do.

 

[okietreedude1]

Ive worn earplugs every day at work for over 10 yrs. My ears have gotten so sensitive, I put them in at home mowing the yard.

My personally feeling has always been (and this is what i tell the guys that complain about them): Someday I hope to have grandkids and if I do, I want to hear them call me grandpa.

 

[vharrison2]

How Sweet

 

[MasterBlaster]

How Sweet

I wish I woulda used em 25 years ago!

 

[alanarbor]

That's why you call stand clear before you start the saw, and make sure the drop zone is clear. If you'd rather go deaf, I suppose that's your business.

But if it's your co policy, don't let someone talk you out of a sensible safe work practice 'cause they don't like it. There's other places out there that will let the climber do as he pleases, because he's the climber. Don't compromise on safety.

 

[VTMechEng]

I started a saw once without plugs in and said F&$K that. The only times I can't hear someone with my ear plugs in is when I choose to not hear them but thats a whole nother story hehe.

 

[John Ellison]

I've worn ear plugs since I started falling but like some others have said I wish I would have worn them before that. Occasional use still adds up to damage. To me it seems like they dampen noises, but you can still hear everything. Like Okietreedude said they are nice for mowing the lawn too, you end up more relaxed instead of tensed up trying to shut out the noise.

John

 

[MasterBlaster]

When I can I like to wear a headset and earplugs, especially using a large saw.

 

[John Ellison]

The only problem I have with the head set muffs is my ears sweat too much I can only wear them when its real cold.

John

 

[alanarbor]

When I can I like to wear a headset and earplugs, especially using a large saw.

Harken ye well to the voice of experience!

Excellent advice!

 

[Koa Man]

I HAD one employee who told me he didn't need to use ear protection because he was "used to loud noises."

It is also recommended to carry a whistle to get the climber's attention because most people cannot yell louder than a chain saw.

 

[chicken89]

what about the idea of using just one ear plug? i usually do that because i load the chipper from the right side and saw from teh right side... thus i put the plug in the right ear. this way the ear closest to the loud noise is semiprotected, and i can still hear the boss yelling from up the tree.
there have been a few times that the boss yells from atop the tree about someone else not doing something safe and i had to get their attention. if i would have had ear protection on, i would not have heard the boss and the other person would have been injured

 

[MasterBlaster]

One earplug?

No.

 

[rb_in_va]

One earplug?

No.

Studies have shown that machinists often have better hearing in the right ear because they are most often standing to the right of the headstock. That would put his left ear closer to the running machine and might account for the hearing loss. As it turns out, my hearing in the right ear is better than the left. Maybe some of the other machinists can confirm or deny this rumor. Needless to say, a chipper or chainsaw is generally much louder than a lathe or mill, so use your head.