Wear your PPE

[tramp bushler]

. Got hit in the eye yesterday late afternoon .. It was close to -30 F and all my face / eye protection was froze over , so I had put on a macT with a Northern Outfitters hard hat arctic liner w/fleece face mask to breath thru ..... So , I had my throat and lungs protected , My head was protected , my hands were protected .. I did,nt have my chaps on , because I already had 4 layers on and my chaps wouldn,t buckle on my legs . Not right , but I didn,t cut my legs so , ... I was pretty well protected from the cold , execpt the hands got cold . , muffler took care of that , same as usual.... But . my eyes were naked to the world .... For a life long glasses wearer that is pretty much how it feels ... I wear contacts now because glasses freeze over or fog up .... While limbin a big chip/ chunk . came back from the bottom of the bar . It came back so fast I didn,t have time to blink , It was getting dark also ... ..
. I think the contact lense saved my right eyeball from more damage than what occurred ... Problem is I,m very right eye dominante . Legally blind in my left eye and contacts only bring it to 20 /50 at best ... . .
. After I got hit , I figured out I could still see out of the eye ,so then I was pretty mad . , Finished limbing and bucking the tree , fell a couple more small trees . walked out and got the sno go brought it in , loaded the sled and ran it out to the truck . Loaded the truck , bucked another log and loaded it . Then had to drive out .. At one point the contact that was somehow still in my right eye got migrated to the side of my eye socket where it started to freeze and became like a chunck still in my eye ... I had to get in the truck and warm up enough to get it out of my eye ...... God helped me to get 20 miles down the highway to the hospital / clinic ..... ... The doc said the eye should heal up well but the eyeball was cut and abraided alot ..... So , in closeing wear your eye protection ... Bug eyes are old and tired and there is no where to buy new ones locally .... I need to order some ......Bug Eyes ..When they freeze over I just need to take the time to thaw them out on the muffler ...

 

[synness4]

I will have to second that getting in a hurry or being lazy can cost you , not the tramp bushler just in general.

 

[385XP]

Glad your ok. Im pretty big on safty but i cant get use to chaps.

 

[gwiley]

PPE is a religion

Really glad you didn't loose the eye, and I really appreciate this kind of post to help me remember to never compromise.

Make wearing your PPE a religion - if you can't fully suit up don't start the saw, no exceptions, no excuses. How many stories do I need to hear to be convinced that I am not superhuman and that I can be part of the statistics just as quickly as the guy telling the latest story?\\

 

[logbutcher]

Glad your ok. Im pretty big on safty but i cant get use to chaps.

How's the eye now Tramp ?

It takes just one "I'll do without it" to get hurt,,,,I near bought the farm a few years ago cutting on a hot day ( some short days like that here ) in shorts and sneakers. Moving cut saplings with the left hand while holding the saw in the right = 8 stitches barely above the patella. Scared the S$$$ out of me. Duct tape and Kotex stemmed the blood. Ask the ER crew how ripping off duct tape affected the patient with hairy legs ! :censored::monkey:

After that workout in the ER, I took the CLP course here in Maine. Most of the hardened loggers who were mandated to take the classes never used PPE either. They now have to in order to get insurance.

Get "used" to chaps. That's where 80% of the slices happen, the upper left thigh. There's the femoral artery---you can bleed out in less than 3 minutes Takes only a minute to suit up in full PPE. You don't disable the air bags or seat belts ?? THIMK THIMK

 

[Uncle John]

 

[Burvol]

Really glad you didn't loose the eye, and I really appreciate this kind of post to help me remember to never compromise.

Make wearing your PPE a religion - if you can't fully suit up don't start the saw, no exceptions, no excuses. How many stories do I need to hear to be convinced that I am not superhuman and that I can be part of the statistics just as quickly as the guy telling the latest story?\\

Let me tell you something bud....There has been more guys come out of the woods (logging) with cuts to their face, neck, chest, arms, hands, ect. than you could imagine. It's not always your legs, but I hear your call for safety.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

Hi Tramp B

Best wishes on healing up quickly. I feel for ya. I have been making a lot of trails in the woods with my 450 JD dozer and have taken quite a few myself.

Well ya guys finally got me too. I have been running a saw for 30+ years and never thought about or wore PPE. Since I joined this site I have been getting more and more nervous about now wearing it. Three weeks ago I ordered some new bars and chains from Baileys. And since it was on there Christmas sale. I also got chainsaw pants a rockman helmet a face shield w/ face screen and muffs and screened safety glasses. I used it last monday and it felt good to use it.

Billy

 

[Uncle John]

. Got hit in the eye yesterday late afternoon .. It was close to -30 F and all my face / eye protection was froze over , so I had put on a macT with a Northern Outfitters hard hat arctic liner w/fleece face mask to breath thru ..... So , I had my throat and lungs protected , My head was protected , my hands were protected .. I did,nt have my chaps on , because I already had 4 layers on and my chaps wouldn,t buckle on my legs . Not right , but I didn,t cut my legs so , ... I was pretty well protected from the cold , execpt the hands got cold . , muffler took care of that , same as usual.... But . my eyes were naked to the world .... For a life long glasses wearer that is pretty much how it feels ... I wear contacts now because glasses freeze over or fog up .... While limbin a big chip/ chunk . came back from the bottom of the bar . It came back so fast I didn,t have time to blink , It was getting dark also ... ..
. I think the contact lense saved my right eyeball from more damage than what occurred ... Problem is I,m very right eye dominante . Legally blind in my left eye and contacts only bring it to 20 /50 at best ... . .
. After I got hit , I figured out I could still see out of the eye ,so then I was pretty mad . , Finished limbing and bucking the tree , fell a couple more small trees . walked out and got the sno go brought it in , loaded the sled and ran it out to the truck . Loaded the truck , bucked another log and loaded it . Then had to drive out .. At one point the contact that was somehow still in my right eye got migrated to the side of my eye socket where it started to freeze and became like a chunck still in my eye ... I had to get in the truck and warm up enough to get it out of my eye ...... God helped me to get 20 miles down the highway to the hospital / clinic ..... ... The doc said the eye should heal up well but the eyeball was cut and abraided alot ..... So , in closeing wear your eye protection ... Bug eyes are old and tired and there is no where to buy new ones locally .... I need to order some ......Bug Eyes ..When they freeze over I just need to take the time to thaw them out on the muffler ...

Another illustration of why you shouldnt cut alone

 

[tramp bushler]

All good reproofs . I have a real hard time working with someone . I,m just too hard to get along with ... On a cuttin crew I do well , but thats why I can,t stand the riggin , have to get along with loggers .....:censored: ... I pretty much always wear my chaps . or cutting pants .. and I always wear eye protection , execpt that day ... The eye is healing up well so far .. It has to as I got several orders over the weekend ....... Remember PPE isn,t only hardhat , eye protection , chaps and safety boots .... Warm clothing is more important than all those when your working in serious minus temps like I was ...... Perhaps you have never had your face screen ice up so you couldn,t see thru it , or if freezes to your face mask that you HAVE to wear to breath thru ,because the air you are gulping into your lungs has already frost bit the surface of your throat in the past ......... But , I do need to wear all the PPE , chap , hard hat , eye protection ect.ect . I actually appreciate people here getting after me , One more thing to get after myself with if I feel like not putting the gear on ......... So thanks ... But believe me , I started wearing leg protective pads in the late 70,s skidder logging in Maine . And I have convinced many guys to leave the chain breaks on their saws ...

 

[tramp bushler]

I also give out chaps to guys for free .... Today I,m going to try the regular glasses with the flip down screen .. The glasses are safety glasses , the big trouble will be them freezing over ... I,ll just have to slow down and thaw them out .......... Sure am looking forward to getting a skidder or dozer ..

 

[Burvol]

Good to see you in good spirits. I am mudded out until the first of Jan most likely. Time to kill more fish and cook some grub, fix some saw stuff. Take care.

 

[Gologit]

Another illustration of why you shouldnt cut alone

True, but sometimes there isn't any choice.

 

[tramp bushler]

Some of you guys should see some of the places where I have made a living with a saw . Precommercial tree thinning . Old timber sales in drainages and bays in Southeast ... Nearest person 30 miles away . several brown bears living in and travelling thru my units ... Have a brown bear start walking to me the minute my saw ran out of gas and have it get to less than 20 feet before I got the gas in it to fire it up ...... .. I ALWAYS wear a large caliber revolver on my wedge belt now because I have had so many run ins with bears , both brown and black ...... Last I heard there was a set of big grizzly cubs / bears by now wandering around in the area .I,m working now ......... I don,t eat regular food at work ... I drink protien shakes , just so there is no food smells related to me or my work .... No doubt you have to do the basics of PPE well . But my PPE in the past has included a custom built Stainless 458 Win mag .......... It,s a different world up here sometimes ......

 

[logbutcher]

Another illustration of why you shouldnt cut alone

Hey, it's dangerous having ANYONE around when felling. I always cut alone except when skidding out or hauling after the cuts. Yes, you can buy the farm anytime, but then the most dangerous activity in the world we do every day without a thought: DRIVING. Damn some fool shaving, putting on makeup, texting, playing with themselves (often looks like :censored, doing everything but keeping the eyes on the road. In the woods it's my brain keeping me safe (mostly ). I don't depend on cellphones ( don't work here anyhow ). Yes, I got a loud whistle, basic wound gear ( re: duct tape and Kotex ---really ), and again that silly brain with some experience, training, and some savvy on what and what not to do. Like knowing where the dangers are, planning the falls, always using the chainbrake when moving . And yes, I never go without full protection .

JMNSHO

 

[2dogs]

Glad you're OK TB! Yep, cutting alone is a fact of life.

I had kind of a funny occurence today. I had to take down two medium size tanoaks in a grove of redwoods but a small 5" redwood was in the way and had to be cut first. I noticed it was not too healthy but not that bad. I cut it high and went to push it over and realized that it was a widowmaker stuck in the ground! That sure caused me to look up! The closet redwood branch was probably 50' over my head. A good reality check.

 

[tramp bushler]

Wow , That would be a wake up for anyone ... ... I worked today . Wore my glasses and was very conscious of flipping down the screen before I started pullin chips with the saw . Each and every time ....... Did pretty good 225 in 5 hours .... All today would bear . It had warmed up to 5 below or so ....... I sure do need a FORCAT ..