The Importance of Chainsaw Safety Wear

It is of vital importance to have to have the correct protective wear when operating a chainsaw. This blog gives a brief outline on what protective clothing you should have and why.

Helmet and eye protection

A helmet should always be worn to protect the user's head against impact with the cutter bar of the chainsaw should kickback occur. As part of our large range we offer a large variety of helmets to help protect your head. Exposure to the sun can cause the plastic of the helmet to weaken over time so it is recommended that the helmet is replaced every 3–5 years. Within this range we provide the helmets with a visor which will also help to keep your eyes protected. Avoiding things getting into your eyes and hindering your vision is very important as it can be very dangerous.

Outer wear

Special fabrics have been and still are being developed for chainsaw clothing. Conventional fabric is ineffective at protecting and unsuitable against a running chainsaw as they are instantly cut through.

Chainsaw protective fabric needs to work on a number of principles. There is difficulty in finding the balance between having a fabric that can withstand an aggressive impact, and making it breathable, lightweight and comfortable. Clothes that restrict movement and retain heat can cause safety problems. However clothes which cannot be cut by a powerful saw are often restricting and impractical. The chain speed of a chainsaw can be found in its manual and it is advisable to choose trousers that match you saws speed. A classification scheme has been developed in the EU to rate trousers and fabric in general for protection against cutting -
Class Max chain speed
0 16 metres per second (36 mph) (3150 feet per minute)

1 20 metres per second (45 mph) (3937 feet per minute)

2 24 metres per second (54 mph) (4724 feet per minute)

3 28 metres per second (63 mph) (5512 feet per minute)

The chain speed is specified in the manual for a chainsaw. Higher class trousers are more expensive, heavier and hotter. There are two standard types of trousers-

Type A - protects only the front of the legs and can be worn over conventional work clothes, or as conventional trousers. These are generally used for occasional, farm or homeowner applications. Ground workers and firewood cutters usually opt for class A trousers because of the low risk of being cut in the back of the leg.

Type C - gives protection all round the legs and are almost always worn as regular trousers and not over another garment. Professional chainsaw operators and tree surgeons would choose trousers for comfort and ease of movement, and would have to wear type C, as they will be cutting from a wider variety of positions. Type C trousers are highly insulating and can lead to heat stress if worn for labour-intensive operations for prolonged periods

Gloves

The gloves are arguably the most important part of the chainsaw clothing because they allow you to keep a hold of the chainsaw with more grip. Chainsaw gloves need cut-proof fabric protection like that for the outerwear, but only on the back of the left hand. It's especially important that work gloves are flexible, which limits how much padding they can have.

Here at PS Marsden we supply a wide of range of chainsaw safety wear that is of the highest quality to ensure your safety. If you have any questions and would like some advice on what would be best suited to you needs please do not hesitate to contact us

References –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw_safety_clothing