SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
If it is necessary to cut
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONbranches or similar which
Working one-handed is dangerous and should only beare above shoulder
carried out by persons who are trained in this specialheight, a lift platform or
working method.scaffold tower is
When performing tree maintenance work one-handed,recommended.
cutting equipment can more easily slide or bounce on a
stem or branch, increasing the risk of kickback.
Take care to insure that the saw falls under its own
weight when finishing a pruning cut. Work should
therefore always be carried out with the saw in such a
position that the body is always clear of the cutting5 Always use a fast cutting
speed, i.e. full throttle.
equipment.
General rules
1 If you understand what kickback is and how it happens then
6 Take great care when you
you can reduce or eliminate the element of surprise. Bycut with the top edge of
being prepared you reduce the risk. Kickback is usually
the bar, i.e. when cutting
quite mild, but it can sometimes be very sudden andfrom the underside of the
violent.
object. This is known as
cutting on the push
2 The saw should always
stroke. The chain tries to
be held in a firm grip, with
the right hand on the rearpush the saw back
towards the user.
handle and the left hand
on the front handle. Wrap
your fingers and thumb
around the handles. YouUnless the user resists
should use this gripthis pushing force there is
whether you are right-a risk that the saw will
handed or left-handed.move so far backwards
This grip minimises thethat only the kickback
effect of kickback and letszone of the bar is in
you keep the saw undercontact with the tree. This
control.will cause kickback.
One-handed working may be necessary, but should only be
carried by persons who are trained and have knowledge of
tree maintenance work using a chain saw, both above and
on the ground. Do not let go of the handles!
3 Most kickback accidents
happen during limbing.
Make sure that you are
standing properly and thatCutting with the bottom
edge of the bar, i.e. from
nothing can cause you to
trip or lose your balance.the top of the object
downwards, is known as
Lack of concentration cancutting on the pull stroke.
lead to kickback if theIn this case the saw pulls
kickback zone of the baritself towards the tree and
accidentally touches athe front edge of the saw
branch, nearby tree orprovides a natural rest
some other object.when cutting. Cutting on
the pull stroke gives you
better control over the
4 The chain saw should notsaw and the position of
be used above shoulderthe kickback zone.
height. Avoid cutting with
the guide bar tip.
7 Follow the instructions on sharpening and maintaining your
bar and chain. When you replace the bar and chain use
only combinations that are recommended by us. See the
sections on �Cutting equipment� and �Technical data�.
The risk of kickback is increased if you use
the wrong cutting equipment or a chain that is
!not sharpened correctly. The wrong
combination of bar and chain can increase the
risk of kickback!
English � 17 |
ACEC
