Chainsaw safety course

milkloss · Nov 21, 2021

Sprog said:
If only colleges would do these courses! My son has done his first year at college on agricultural course and is now out on farm doing his middle year. They only did a telehandler course which i thought was pathetic as they had finished classroom stuff by Easter and could have put the students through more particularly as so many were going out on mid year placement. We paid for the telehandler test and would happily have paid for quad bike, PA1, chainsaw and others if they had bothered to run them. One of his mates was at another college and was only offered a telehandler course but at a lot more money than he could do it for back home so he didn’t bother.

For some reason colleges etc have been like this for many years. Perhaps they're stitching up the market or something I don't know but when I was in education it was very much down to ourselves to sort this sort of thing out.

needs to change and it's my belief that this sort of thing should be 100% funded to keep young talent coming into the trade. money much better spent than irrigation or calving sensors, let alone the robotic feed pusher! Boots on the ground are far better.

thesilentone · Nov 21, 2021

milkloss said:
For some reason colleges etc have been like this for many years. Perhaps they're stitching up the market or something I don't know but when I was in education it was very much down to ourselves to sort this sort of thing out.

needs to change and it's my belief that this sort of thing should be 100% funded to keep young talent coming into the trade. money much better spent than irrigation or calving sensors, let alone the robotic feed pusher! Boots on the ground are far better.

There is undoubtedly a rabbit off here. The training world is littered with former college/uni lecturers, and if at an Ag College/Uni academic skills are great, but practical competences should be equally as important, and should be on the curriculum.

neilo · Nov 21, 2021

Willie adie said:
Mine was a 2week course when I was at forestry commission, two things i learned first day , start saw within 6ft of fuel can , fail.
Take one step without chain brake on , fail,
And I've seen numerous folk since do it,

Out in the real world, that's about as likely as never moving a telehandler with the boom up, or always putting the handbrake on before raising/lowering the boom...

Bury the Trash · Nov 21, 2021

Frank-the-Wool said:
If only Colleges could get more young people to take these courses.
At this time of the year we have loads of work, but it is fencing, tree and woodland work.
I have had three young guys in the last month asking for work, one today. I ask if they have chainsaw tickets and the answer is always NO.

Today's one said I have been using a chainsaw for two years and I am very safe!!
Then I said go and do the courses and come back with the tickets and I will pay you £15.00 an hour.

are you so busy that you don't have time to teach them yourself? wouldn't take long for the basics.

Frank-the-Wool · Nov 21, 2021

Bury the Trash said:
are you so busy that you don't have time to teach them yourself? wouldn't take long for the basics.

I am not sure that teaching bad habits would be such a good idea.
Like any training where a test is required to pass at the end of it, it is knowing what the examiner is looking for.

How much is the Test without the training?

Davey · Nov 21, 2021

neilo said:
Out in the real world, that's about as likely as never moving a telehandler with the boom up, or always putting the handbrake on before raising/lowering the boom...

Not really, I was taught to knock the chain brake on with the back of my hand after every cut. Now it’s second nature and adds no time to the job but massively increases site safety.

Bury the Trash · Nov 21, 2021

Frank-the-Wool said:
I am not sure that teaching bad habits would be such a good idea.
Like any training where a test is required to pass at the end of it, it is knowing what the examiner is looking for.

How much is the Test without the training?

In the 120- 150 ball park ?

Willie adie · Nov 22, 2021

neilo said:
Out in the real world, that's about as likely as never moving a telehandler with the boom up, or always putting the handbrake on before raising/lowering the boom...

You may well be correct but it shows the level of competence that is deemed necessary to operate a chainsaw, where as it stands, black, one eyed, Estonian, lesbian, banjo player, with vitus dance, wearing flip flops, can legally buy a chainsaw

neilo · Nov 22, 2021

Willie adie said:
You may well be correct but it shows the level of competence that is deemed necessary to operate a chainsaw, where as it stands, black, one eyed, Estonian, lesbian, banjo player, with vitus dance, wearing flip flops, can legally buy a chainsaw

Very true. When we had our HSE visit I was discussing similar with the inspector. He, and I, had both recently bought cheap chainsaws from Screwfix, as anyone else off the street could do.

Incidentally, when I was asked about my chainsaw use I said (correctly) that it was for fencing, hedge laying, etc. I don’t have any tickets and he didn’t require me to get them. A friend, who was next in line for a visit, told him he used it for logging up fallen branches, and was made to go and do several days training.

Joe Bloggs, and indeed the HSE inspector, can go and cut up fallen branches in shorts and trainers with their Screwfix saws if they want to though. :scratchhead:

Robt · Nov 22, 2021

Did my cross cutting course some 20 years ago. Found it very interesting (I didn’t pay) . To this day I still start the saw between my knees how I was shown. Definitely think it has saved me over the years as the instructor showed us some basics for felling as he said. “ I know you will all try it, so I may as well show you some basics tips”

Bury the Trash · Nov 22, 2021

Bury the Trash · Nov 22, 2021

I always start a saw when its on the ground with my foot on the footplate , thats what its there for.

The only exception is if im up a tree.

Or a the Cordless one .obvs.

X344chap · Nov 22, 2021

Bury the Trash said:
I always start a saw when its on the ground with my foot on the footplate , thats what its there for.

The only exception is if im up a tree.

Or a the Cordless one .obvs.

+1 for on the ground with a firm hand on the handle and your boot on it. I wince when i see folks drop starting them.

Bury the Trash · Nov 22, 2021

X344chap said:
+1 for on the ground with a firm hand on the handle and your boot on it. I wince when i see folks drop starting them.

The beauty of a cordless , (if its powerful enough for the job) one is when up in a tree is that starting is one less potential problem

Modern stuff is Actually brilliant

Grassman · Nov 22, 2021

Bury the Trash said:
The beauty of a cordless , (if its powerful enough for the job) one is when up in a tree is that starting is one less potential problem

Modern stuff is Actually brilliant

I use my battery stihl for the vast majority of my fencing work. Rarely does the petrol saw get used.

TheTallGuy · Nov 22, 2021

Bury the Trash said:
I always start a saw when its on the ground with my foot on the footplate , thats what its there for.

The only exception is if im up a tree.

Or a the Cordless one .obvs.

And that's how it is in just about every chainsaw user manual I've ever seen.

Longlowdog · Nov 22, 2021

I've done cross cut and stack and felling to bar width. I'd done a lot before but found it useful to hear what was considered the correct way and to have the bit of paper if there ever was an accident. Chainsaw wounds are on the same list as gunshot and knife wounds and are reported to H.S.E if you say it is a work related industry. My friend cut his knee tidying up one stump he had missed after taking his kit off at the end of a days work. H.S.E were there the following day before his boss who didn't really mind could write him an 'official' bollocking for failure to wear P.P.E.

steveR · Nov 22, 2021

Frank-the-Wool said:
If only Colleges could get more young people to take these courses.
At this time of the year we have loads of work, but it is fencing, tree and woodland work.
I have had three young guys in the last month asking for work, one today. I ask if they have chainsaw tickets and the answer is always NO.

Today's one said I have been using a chainsaw for two years and I am very safe!!
Then I said go and do the courses and come back with the tickets and I will pay you £15.00 an hour.

This.

Makes so much sense. Back in the 70s when I were but a DR student, we did 2 days on chainsaws. Basic safety and maintenance. Not a ticket, but a good lead-in to do a proper course. Walford used to run good weekend courses, but too posh now!

steveR · Nov 22, 2021

Sprog said:
If only colleges would do these courses! My son has done his first year at college on agricultural course and is now out on farm doing his middle year. They only did a telehandler course which i thought was pathetic as they had finished classroom stuff by Easter and could have put the students through more particularly as so many were going out on mid year placement. We paid for the telehandler test and would happily have paid for quad bike, PA1, chainsaw and others if they had bothered to run them. One of his mates was at another college and was only offered a telehandler course but at a lot more money than he could do it for back home so he didn’t bother.

The problem with Ag colleges is the same as Uni's, they are simply money making machines, not places of Further Education...

Need to go back to their roots in the rural communities.

TheTallGuy · Nov 22, 2021

steveR said:
The problem with Ag colleges is the same as Uni's, they are simply money making machines, not places of Further Education...

Need to go back to their roots in the rural communities.

The problem is that the government allocate a set budget per student to get from "Level 1" to "Level 2" etc. - that budget includes includes the cost of administration, salaries for tutors, facilities etc. Putting on courses for things such as chainsaw & telehandler use all cost money because at the very least they require independent examination & often specialist external training - if they don't form part of the core requirements of the qualification then they will not be considered a priority.

Chainsaw safety course

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Up to 25%

25-50%

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75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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