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Chainsaw Safety

Content provided courtesy of Husqvarna.

Safety first. Always read your owner's manual before operating a chain saw.

The chainsaw is an efficient tool. Yet it can be dangerous if used incorrectly. That's why safety must always come first. Your clothing is a very important part of this. Even if you're just cutting some firewood outside the back door of your house, you must use the personal protective equipment that is required in your country. Of course, protective equipment cannot prevent an accident from happening, but it can help to reduce the level of injury if one does occur.

Chainsaw Safety


Protect head and hands
Never saw without a helmet with a full-coverage visor and hearing protection. And protect your hands with a pair of strong gloves.
Sturdy footwear
Make sure your boots have a protective toecap, saw protection and a heavy tread.
Protective eyewear
Use eye protection to avoid injury due to fine dust and debris in the air.
Protective trousers and jacket
You're safest if you have trousers with saw protection. That way the chain is stopped quickly and effectively should the saw come into contact with your leg (4a, 4b). Also recommended is a highly-visible, ventilated protective jacket.
If you need to call for help
Ensure you have a First Aid kit easily accessible. And it’s a good idea to carry a mobile phone and a whistle, so you can call for help easily, if something happens.
About the saw
Take your time to get acquainted with the saw, so you have a good idea how it works and so you know its most important parts. Especially important are those that have to do with safety.
Chain catcher
On the bottom of the saw is the chain catcher, which catches the chain if it breaks or derails. (6)
Throttle lock
On the inside of the rear handle is the throttle control. To prevent accidental throttle advance, when you squeeze the throttle control you must also depress the throttle lock on the top of the handle.
Stop control
With the easy-access stop control you can stop the engine quickly.
Right-hand guard
If the chain were to break or derail, your right hand would be protected by the right-hand guard on the bottom of the handle.
Kickback protection
Kickback is possible during most types of operations, and is caused by the saw contacting something with the upper part of the bar nose (the kickback zone). In a kickback situation, the saw is forced upward and backward as a result of the rotating chain.

The saw has a chain brake to stop the chain in the event of a kickback. The chain brake can be triggered in two ways. One, by the user’s hand pushing the kickback protection forward, and two, by the inertial forces that arise during a kickback.
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