Photo credit: Susy Morris on Flickr

I recently talked with a forestry worker who was on his way to pick up his freshly sharpened saw – ready to take it out for a new season of land clearing.

He was enjoying a sunny day at the cafe, waiting to head into the bush to clear land for replanting.

Soon enough he and his coworkers would be using chainsaws to cut tangles of small trees and fallen branches into pieces for removal.

He said his company inspects each saw at the beginning of a job – to be sure it is sharp and properly maintained, with all safety features in working order.

I was glad to hear about this example of pre-job safety inspection. It made me think about my recent post Training and equipment maintenance key to safety – which focused on manufacturing but is relevant to any industry.

Chainsaw safety

“Routine maintenance and service can minimize the hazards of working with chain saws,” reads Chainsaws – Maintenance and Service from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

“…chain saws should be returned to a service centre periodically (every few months to a year, depending on the usage) to be inspected and serviced by technically trained staff.”

The guy at the cafe was on the right track, and I hope he’s having a good, safe season with his well-tuned saw.

For more information check out CCOHS’s Safe Use of Chain Saws

Guidelines Part 26 – Manual falling and bucking from WorkSafeBC

Basic Chainsaw Operator Training from the BC Forest Safety Council

Chain Saw Safety from the Ontario Ministry of Labour