Treeslayer ,did you know this kid ?

[Behemoth Jim]

3 people were on the chipper . These things happen in a instant . Poquoson is a small REAL close knit town . One stop light until recently . Most people know the family well .This kid was like a son to the owner . If your dad had the business and you were a mature , hard working kid , you would be there too.
On the farm my son was baling hay at 12 . He drove a car better then than my neighbors do here and they're 40 + . He started young , and worked his way up .Not one person Ive talked to blames the owner . Please don't judge so hastily . I never should of posted the link .

Norm, you are so right that people should not judge too hastily. I began driving a farm tractor at age 8, operating PTO equipment around age 11 or 12, and chainsaw at 17. I do not believe it is wrong to allow kids to do dangerous work, however, if you're going to do so, you take full responsibility-- especially legally. Now if I was responsible for the death of an 18 year old, I don't think I'd feel much better than if I were responsible for the death of a 17 year old-- but 18 is the magic line the govt has established.

Bottom line, be careful. I often use a small tree limb to feed our little Vermeer the tailings. I do so with one hand on the panic bar and the other hand pushing the stick around to get the leaves in. As long as I keep my hand at least two feet or so from the roller, I've got plenty of time to react. Often of course, the roller grabs the stick, so I just pull the reverse bar, and / or let go of the stick. But I do keep my one hand on the bar at all times while doing that. Is this unsafe? Maybe. I'm thinking our chipper must be a slower feeder than some. It only has a 6-inch throat. I used to use a 10- or 12-inch Vermeer when I worked for Asplundh 10 years ago. That thing scared me spitless. NEVER lose your fear. Never lose it for other people working with you or around you, either.

And also-- never lose your fear for that annoying 10-year-old kid that comes out of the house to watch you work and shows off while you're trying to get stuff done. (sidenote: I was the annoying 10-year-old kid that did that kind of thing once. . . .) A few weeks ago there was one such at our jobsite and I sent him back into the house no fewer than four times. My boss was climbing a dead tree in their backyard, we felled two spars, were chipping, gathering logs with our tractor loader, etc, etc. The stinkin kid kept coming outside and goofing off. I had to tell him he could be killed like a grasshopper if he didn't get his butt in the house. His mother also told him repeatedly to stay inside. You gotta watch that stuff!

I'll be reviewing my chipper practices next time I run it. Be safe!