Chainsaw Safety

Each year, approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws (1).  The potential risk of injury increases after hurricanes and other natural disasters, when chain saws are widely used to remove fallen or partially fallen trees and tree branches. 

About Chainsaws

Selecting and Maintaining a Chain Saw by Stelzer, H. (2011). University of Missouri Extension. Retrieved from http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/agengin/g01954.pdf

General Safety 

Chainsaw Safety for Homeowners: a 2-page introduction to chainsaw safety from the New York State Department of Health, online at: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/3233.pdf

Chain Saw Safety Tips: This web page covers steps to take when you first buy a chain saw; protective clothing; how to fell a tree; trimming and bucking; pruning; and safety tips (including those specific to electric-powered chain saws). See: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension, online at: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/html_pubs/saw/saw.html

Safe Timber Harvesting: a publication intended for loggers, however pages 1-44 cover personal protective equipment, maintaining and sharpened your chainsaw, general chainsaw safety, felling trees, and limbing and bucking.  Produced by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with UNH Timber Harvesting Council, UNH Timberland Owners Association, and the UNH Thompson School of Applied Sciences, online at: https://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource001062_Rep1293.pdf

Work Safely with a Chainsaw:  The Indiana Woodlot Series includes this 6-page PDF that covers choosing a chain saw (including considerations of horsepower, bar length, chain type, and safety features); personal protective gear; other mainenance equipment you'll need; how to carry yoru chainsaw; sizing up the work site before cutting; safe operation (including the saw's 'kickback danger zone'); and tips for working in the forest.  Published by the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources with other partners, online at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/02_Work_Safely.pdf

Techniques

Best Management Practices on the Cornell Cooperative Extension Forestry website include a series of articles (in PDF form) written by Tim Ard, a Game of Logging instructor. They describe chainsaw techniques that can improve your efficiency and safety.  Online at: 
http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/bmp/contents/diy/diy_chainsaw.htm

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(1)  "Preventing Chain Saw Injuries During Tree Removal After a Disaster" , Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/chainsaws.asp Referenced 22 January, 2014)

Last updated March 11, 2020