Wear those chaps people

[Hermio]

I feel like I should be seriously looking at some chaps... I'm probably a little over-confident after years of not having an accident. Maybe Santa will leave a pair under the tree...

I'm 6'1", I wonder if I got the Echo Full wraps would I want the 36" or 40"?

I think one thing that puts people off about chaps is their cost. Cheapies go for close to $100, but the good ones may be several hundred dollars. I bought intermediate grade from LaBonville. That scares me a little, as I use an MS500i, which is a rather powerful saw.

 

[MrTreeGuy]

Numbers are not the correct comparison. Percentages are. There are more people building fires than using chainsaws. The logging profession is the second most dangerous profession, after North Sea fisherman. It actually used to be the most dangerous. In the 1980s, the statistic was that 5% of loggers would not survive their career. It has gotten better, and I don't know all the reasons why. Better training may be one. But I imagine the use of chaps has contributed to safety.

The number of fire accidents decrease because people have been able to tame it over time. They have a better understanding of fire safety than past generations. That leads to less fatalities and injuries by fire.
If you understand how to work a saw safely, how to buck, and be able to see most potential hazards, you don't need certain safety gears.

 

[Hermio]

The number of fire accidents decrease because people have been able to tame it over time. They have a better understanding of fire safety than past generations. That leads to less fatalities and injuries by fire.
If you understand how to work a saw safely, how to buck, and be able to see most potential hazards, you don't need certain safety gears.

That is a fallacy. Experienced people can still make mistakes in a moment of inattention, especially when tired. Just as great drivers have accidents, so do experienced loggers.

 

[MrTreeGuy]

everything has its risk. But by taking precautions, you keep that risk small. Small enough to where you dont even need to spend the money on chaps and have your movement somewhat restricted and the hassle of putting them on.

 

[MacAttack]

I think one thing that puts people off about chaps is their cost. Cheapies go for close to $100, but the good ones may be several hundred dollars. I bought intermediate grade from LaBonville. That scares me a little, as I use an MS500i, which is a rather powerful saw.

I was looking at the LaBonville, they have layers of Kevlar and seem priced pretty reasonably.

 

[moxiemaul]

I feel like I should be seriously looking at some chaps... I'm probably a little over-confident after years of not having an accident. Maybe Santa will leave a pair under the tree...

I'm 6'1", I wonder if I got the Echo Full wraps would I want the 36" or 40"?

I'm 6', 36" labonville chaps fit me well, lots of room to adjust the straps. Going to use mine wednesday I think.. have some hideous bramble/deadfall stuff to move along, so will be wading in with the long bar.

 

[Philbert]

everything has its risk. But by taking precautions, you keep that risk small. Small enough to where you dont even need to spend the money on chaps and have your movement somewhat restricted and the hassle of putting them on.

Nobody plans on getting hurt: that’s why they call it ‘an accident’.

Working in safety for almost 40 years, we call them ‘incidents’.

From a bigger picture perspective they are often highly predictable, even if not a frequent occurrence.

And things like knowledge, skill, experience, (and ego), only get you so far when something unexpected happens.

Philbert

 

[MacAttack]

I'm 6', 36" labonville chaps fit me well, lots of room to adjust the straps. Going to use mine wednesday I think.. have some hideous bramble/deadfall stuff to move along, so will be wading in with the long bar.

Thanks!

 

[MrTreeGuy]

Nobody plans on getting hurt: that’s why they call it ‘an accident’.

Working in safety for almost 40 years, we call them ‘incidents’.

From a bigger picture perspective they are often highly predictable, even if not a frequent occurrence.

And things like knowledge, skill, experience, (and ego), only get you so far when something unexpected happens.

Philbert

True but wearing chaps doesnt come without negatives. You'll have to weigh those negatives with that small risk if youre being careful.

people take the risk of dying everyday when they drive. The opposite of that is never leaving your house because youre afraid of that small risk becoming reality.

 

[wildwes]

everything has its risk. But by taking precautions, you keep that risk small. Small enough to where you dont even need to spend the money on chaps and have your movement somewhat restricted and the hassle of putting them on.

Wearing chaps IS a precaution...

 

[MrTreeGuy]

Wearing chaps IS a precaution...

its one precaution of many. Too many precautions is bad

 

[wildwes]

its one precaution of many. Too many precautions is bad

Precautions that make it impossible to do a job might be bad. Properly fitted, good quality chaps aren't one of those. If you don't want to wear chaps, fine. I usually don't, I am taking a risk that I am aware of.
That said, trying to argue that chaps are somehow bad or that they aren't a good precaution, is purely idiotic.

 

[MrTreeGuy]

Precautions that make it impossible to do a job might be bad. Properly fitted, good quality chaps aren't one of those. If you don't want to wear chaps, fine. I usually don't, I am taking a risk that I am aware of.
That said, trying to argue that chaps are somehow bad or that they aren't a good precaution, is purely idiotic.

That was my argument. I'm choosing not to wear chaps but under very careful conditions. You dont exactly need chaps to work safely

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

That was my argument. I'm choosing not to wear chaps but under very careful conditions. You dont exactly need chaps to work safely

In theory, you don't have to wear chaps, just imagine you're wearing them.

Ok ill be honest. I have zero work experience when it comes to tree work. However, if you ask me about the theoretical work, Im 100% confident that I'm better than most tree businesses with years of experience.

The reason I used the burger cook analogy is because I'm not going to take on work that is high risk. Its very low stakes what I plan on doing. If I was working with large trees/trimming/removals, than yes, interning with an established arborist would be the way to start my work experience.

The reason why I have a good theoretical understanding of tree work is because first and foremost I didn't want to damage people's property.

 

[fields_mj]

Fires have been killing people much longer and in larger numbers than gas chain saws. At the same time, some people have been using fire with no problems. I wonder why?

As for seat belts, that's an entire debate in itself.

How many old farmers have you met that are missing one or more of their digits? Personally, I've met several. There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those who have had an accident, and those who will. The most important piece of PPE will always be the thing between one's ears. If that particular piece of PPE isn't working correctly, no other piece of PPE will be sufficient. However, there are plenty of times when that piece of PPE is fully functional, and yet additional PPE is (or could/should have been) in use. Not everything that happens around and to you is within your control. To go though life as though everything IS within your control is a good indicator that the PPE mentioned above is not functioning at full capacity. That's okay though. As time passes, life often corrects that issue for us.

 

[Philbert]

A lot of the arborist guys have switched to chainsaw protective pants, because they wear them all day, and find some chaps to be heavy or restrictive, especially for those who climb, or who find the straps hanging up in brushy environments.

Apparently, the pants are more popular in Europe.

Good ones cost a bit more, and they have to be worn all day. Hard to share them among a crew. But they make sense for some.

I generally prefer chaps, because I am typically not cutting all day. I can remove them when not needed. I also like the additional protection. They provide my legs when walking through brushy areas (no problems with straps walking forwards!).

Chaps, like all PPE have to fit and be comfortable. Otherwise, they can be clumsy, like wearing a coat or boots that are too large too small, etc.

They become a habit. I feel ‘naked’ cutting without them now.

Philbert