Chain saw policies.

[lineman61520]

With most companies downsizing or terminating their foresty departments. I would like to know your thoughts or companie's policies on your service man (one man trucks) carring and using chain saws by themselves.
Its pretty obvious that its not safe to be out there using a chainsaw by yourself, but I was just wondering how many serviceman do it.

[thrasher]

Are you talking about using a chainsaw for trimming a few limbs or to drop whole trees? Our company has no rule against one man with glasses, hardhat, and chaps trimming anything they want. We will even let the serviceman at his choice cut a tree top off of a dead and grounded line, however he can call for help to do so. If a whole tree is uprooted or leaning on a line we get at least two or more people there. Quite often where whole trees are involved we simply call the Right-of-way contractor to get the tree after we ground the line. Whoever runs the chainsaw though will have to have hardhat, glasses and chaps. We store the chaps with the saws on the trucks. We also do a safety review of chainsaw techniques about every two years.

[Patriot]

Only rules we have at Rocky Mountian Power are ear plugs and chaps. Pretty much do what ever, when ever, except that we no longer go on long term tree trimming jobs.

[T-Man]

Why should any one want to operate a chainsaw alone?

[LINETRASH]

They gave us T-Men extedible pole saws a few years back.

Dont carry one myself, I find by the time I get it out of the bin (placed on top of the driver side bins, so you need a ladder or have to crawl under the boom in the bed of the truck), get it started, use it, clean it, stow it, etc, I would already have trimmed all I need with a hand saw or blade on a universal stick.

Some guys use the hell out of 'em. Some others keep 'em so they can do some work around the house.

'Far as what I need, just enough trimmed to get at a fuse with an extendo, the ol' manual saw suffices.

I guess in some areas,tree conditions might require more chain saw work, but here, we have caught up with most of the line clearing, even more so than some of the other service areas.

If I run across a call that needs a lot of work, I just refer it to the pro tree trimmers, who are on call for out of service tickets.

[loodvig]

I trim just enough to get the power back on. Then write it up for a tree crew.

[dungnfam]

We just had a safety meeting this morning that discussed chain saw safety here at National Grid.

[old lineman]

This is intriguing.
First of all there has been a lot of research done by NASA in Texas about SUSPENSION TRAUMA otherwise known as ortostatic intolerance.
The bottom line is that if a worker has to wear fall arrest equipment then he/she should never work alone.
Second if a chain saw is being used incidentally then why doesn't the company purchase hydraulic chain saws. The won't kickback or run-on when the trigger is released.
As a result chaps are not required and the dangers are minimized.
The Old Lineman

[just say no]

to answer your question t-man,these guys are gung-ho or suck ups....let them get hurt and see how much their company will back them....get me a tree crew or they'll stay out.......

[staggerlee]

In New Brunswick it is illegal for an employer to allow an employee to operate a chainsaw alone. we looked into the hydraulic saws but OHS said if it has a chain it is a chainsaw! Some complaining at first but now it seems to be gone. Small jobs done by hand otherwise wait for second man to get there. Be Safe!

[duckhunter]

We can run a saw alone here, and most of us do on the weekends for our own use anyway. We do not have trouble men here. You are a lineman or an apprentice. Out linemen do everything, new construction, maintenance, power quality and outages.
It is interesting to me that a tool with the potential for injury like a chainsaw requires so little training by OSHA.

[PSE Lineman]

We have "hot saws" that are hydraulic on a tested hot stick. We use them alone whenever we want to. If in my opinion I need help it is only a phone call away. I can't imagine using a chainsaw ever again except to cut kindling in the yard from the old pole bunk for campfire wood or clearing the road to get through. I think of all the times I used a chainsaw up close and personal to a tree that is laying across all three phases of the feeder and watching it blast off to the heavens on the final cut with my head about 2 and a half feet from it and my ass puckered all the while. Now if I don't know what way the parts are going to go , I cut it almost through and put a rope on the cut , hook it to the truck and pull that way and the tree breaks the rope comes back and you move on to the cutouts or the recloser or the sub to re-energize. If I can't handle it we call a crew to use the boom to hold it and cut it off. The tree crew thing around here is a joke. They used to do "hot spots" the next day. Now it is non existant to get a crew for a month. With all the money going to wind farms in Eastern Washington the tree budget is toast. Oh well , more O/T and outages...

[igloo64]

Human skin dulls knives and saw blades quicker than anything!

[QuebecMonteurs]

Most of the times, here in Quebec, we have to do the tree job by ourself, at least on the telecom network. As long as the tree aren't in contact with the electric lines we got to do it if it is necessary to do the job. Otherwise, we just leave the tree there and let the job to a tree krew