Chainsaw Safety and Storm Damaged Tree Cleanup

[Music] [Music] [Music] unfortunately trees are often damaged in storms and these trees can be extremely dangerous to clean up storm damaged trees are subject to all the perils associated with tree felling and much much more working conditions may be difficult downed trees may be entangled in other trees or tossed on buildings vehicles are wires energy stored in compressed limbs and trunks can be released suddenly explosively and fatally each situation is unique and requires consideration before approaching a storm damaged tree put on personal protective equipment also called PPE the importance of PPE can never be overstated a hardhat safety glasses ear protection chainsaw pants or chaps and suitable boots are mandatory a chainsaw should never under any circumstances be operated without them a good pair of gloves is also strongly recommended handling a saw without PPE reflects very poorly on the individual the management and the company it also violates OSHA and ANSI standards nobody can predict when an accident will occur every saw operator must have well thinning PPE that meets ANSI standards next inspect the saw look for these five essential safety features the chain break stops the rotation of the chain the chain break can be activated by pushing the left wrist forward or by the inertial force generated by kickback kickback will trigger the chain break this can be tested by dropping the saw bar on a piece of wood from waist level the force of the sudden stop should activate the chain break anytime two or more steps are taking during cutting engaged to chain break engage the break when the saw is set down the break should be on unless the operator is actively cutting never use the right hand to engage the chain break the throttle interlock is designed to prevent the throttle from being accidentally engaged the throttle will only work if the lock is pressed in this assures the saws rear handle is held with a firm grip while accelerating the right hand guard is designed to protect the users hand if the chain should break or derail the chain catch serves the same function every chainsaw has the potential to start a wildfire chainsaw engineers have added a spark arrestor to the muffler to prevent sparks if any of these features are non-functioning or missing don't use the saw better yet take the bar off so nobody else uses it and get it repaired lock it out and tag it out now that the operator has dressed for work and inspected the song it's time to tackle the tree the general approach is straightforward clear off the foliage and remove tripping hazards if possible work from the top of the tree down take the weight off the tree and remove non load-bearing branches first then systematically Whittle the project down tackling the easiest pressure points first it sounds simple but it can be deadly application of this five-step cutting plan will help keep the saw operator safe and working effectively first hazards must be identified as well as the work and drop zones next consider the lean and load in the tree check the equipment available and then make the cut plan and the escape plan once the plans have been implemented repeat the five steps for the next cut the situation can change with each cut and must be reconsidered step one take time to identify the hazards associated with the tree take a walk around the tree and look at it very carefully all the hazards associated with tree felling are relevant internal rot widow-makers buildings people and wildlife to name just a few in a storm situation trees may be hung up and tangled and rain and wind can add additional dangers be particularly village entwistle ech tricity almost all saw operators in the field have at least some exposure to this hazard but after a storm downed lines add extra danger anytime a tree is near a wire be wary even a streetlamp circuit or phone line can be energized with enough voltage to kill in fact the operator doesn't even have to touch a wire to be electrocuted about half of all electrocution fatalities or the result of indirect contact make a thorough inspection and remember fences gutters anything conductive can be energized that includes wet ground there may be no indication that the site is energized do not approach or touch any down lines or trees on them until the utility company has confirmed they are de-energized next established a work zone this should include any areas that are hazardous to the workers or the public use cones to keep pedestrians and traffic out of the zone identify the drop zone the area where anything cut from the tree will fall this zone must be kept in mind as the work proceeds in step number two the operator identifies the lien and load on the tree once the tree is leaning hung up cracked or draped over another obstacle it can be very difficult to predict how it will respond when cut lean and load can affect the tension and compression of wood generally in an upright tree the upper side of the tree branch is under tension with the fiber stretch and the lower side is under compression with the fibers pushed together once the tree is down lean and load can be quite different wood under tension will open when cut it can shatter and split resulting in a barber chair or spring pole wood under compression will pinch the bar and can cause pinch kickback these accidents and others are covered in the video common tree felling accidents and what you can do to prevent them on this channel it can be tricky to distinguish tension and compression both of these points are under tension even though they are on opposite sides of the same trunk in general notch and compression wood and back cut in tension would a notch on the compression side will gradually release the pressure and keep the soften binding finished with a final cut from the tension side at this point the operator has identified the hazards work and drop zones and lean and load the operator has begun to formulate the cut plan and escape route now it's time to do step 3 check the equipment ropes and mechanical advantage can be used to release cuts at a distance greatly increasing safety a throw line can be used to remove a Widowmaker or place a rope in a tree a wedge is essential when properly placed wedges can keep the tree from pinching the saw bar and help the tree fall in the direction of the notch cut the more tools available the more options available just as importantly if the needed tool is not present put the worksite in a safe condition and go get what is needed [Music] step four is the cut plant and escape plan at this stage in the five-step plan the operator has assessed the hazards presented by the tree and worksite the operator has given full consideration to lean and load of the tree and has the equipment needed it is time to make the cut plan and escape plan there are three cuts that are relatively simple to execute and yet can handle many situations presented by storm damaged trees these are the bore the mismatch and the controlled knee cut a well-executed bore cut will allow the operator to move away from the tree as it shifts more information about this cut is available in the other videos on this channel the mismatched and controlled knee notch cuts can be released when the operator is at a safe distance using rope these techniques can be essential when it is unclear how the tree will move or there's no safe escape route these cuts released remotely will keep the operator out of the drop zone to perform a mismatch cut attach the pull line before cutting the pull line should be attached on the side of the lowest cut it is easier to snap off the cut if it is pulled or pushed in the direction of the side with the lowest cut this works well on small diameter trees in a non hazardous situation the mismatch cut can be used to control when and where a piece Falls the operator can control the piece using both hands the amount of overlap or bypass along with the distance between the cuts will vary with diameter and wood strength the further the cuts are apart the more holding power the mismatch must be practiced in a safe and controlled setting before attempting to use it in the field typically but not always compression and tension fibers are on either the top or the bottom of a horizontal trunk or branch the sidecut of the mismatch allows the operator to cut the tension and compression fibers at the same time reducing the chance of bar pinch from compression and the explosive release of tension in a hazardous situation use the pull rope to free the branch or trunk the operator will be well away when the release occurs the controlled knee cut is excellent for dealing with trees suspended on overhead obstacles such as wires a house or in this case a tree the control nikka makes smart use of notches notice the position of the notch when the Rope is pulled the trunk will fold pulling the tree away from the hang-up to set up a controlled knee first attach the pull line and add mechanical advantage as needed an open-faced notch is made the hinge is set up with a bore cut a release cut is made beneath the level of the hinge by passing the two kerfs this will hold until the pull line is loaded would strength and tree diameter will determine the distance between these two cuts and the amount of force needed to release them if the tree is fixed at the base make two notches boar's and release cuts on opposite sides of the trunk the top knot should be no higher than the shoulders then pull the line the trunk will fold the treetops will move down and may dislodge if it doesn't dislodge the tree move the line up the trunk and do it again each time the tree will become more horizontal with each cut walking away from the hang-up repeat the process until the tree releases consider the escape plan most operators are familiar with this figure that highlights the safest escape routes when felling a tree because of pressure on storm damaged trees the best escape route might not easily be identified it can be difficult to determine which way a tree will move furthermore as the operator works the tree the escape route will change pick up debris and make sure the path is clear every operator always needs a safe clear escape route regardless of the operation performed if there is no clear safe escape path use distance release techniques or tools the final step step 5 is to implement the cuts and escape plan and then repeat the five steps again with every cut the tension and compression in the wood can change the lean and load can change the drop zone may shift equipment needs may change and another cut plan an escape route may be needed storm damage tree removal is extremely dangerous when it is unclear how to proceed leave the site in a safe condition and get help never tackle a job that exceeds your skill knowledge or equipment cut smart cut safe you

Channel: The Center for Urban Agriculture

Views: 12,087

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Id: WrafoGHAg_A

Length: 15min 9sec (909 seconds)

Published: Sun May 31 2020