A chainsaw accident

Face cheek. But a limb on a downe tree that was under torsion. Chain wasn't moving by the time it got to me. That happened to me about 6 years ago too but that cut me on the thigh.
 
Maybe crucify yourself for the rest of the yr? I know you can handle that. Hopefully that little one will slow you down again. We all need focus.
 
I cringe to this day recalling the all close calls that nearly cut me badly. Through my career the worst cut I ever received was from pulling the chain backwards around the bar. Did I ever tell you I'm a lucky SOB, too.
 
I have a slice in my cheek at the moment. Kickback.

Nothing to speak of. Honestly. Not even worth a butterfly. A good reminder though.

Face cheek. But a limb on a downe tree that was under torsion. Chain wasn't moving by the time it got to me. That happened to me about 6 years ago too but that cut me on the thigh.

First, please forgive a couple of questions from a non-pro arborist. I know it can seem like "Monday morning quarterbacking", but I like to find out how incidents happen, as it can help all of us to stay safer in the future.

My first question is, Did the chain brake get activated because of the way the saw's bar got thrown back towards your face? I'm assuming that it did, and that that safety mechanism is the thing that prevented a really serious injury. If so, the safety takeaway for this question is for everyone to test the chain brake function on their chainsaws regularly, to be certain that they are functional.

My second question is, Were you wearing a face shield at the time the chain struck your face? If not, and it might have prevented the injury, the obvious safety takeaway is to always be wearing a face shield in addition to safety glasses or goggles, during cutting operations. If you were wearing a face shield at the time of the incident, but got cut anyway, it might be a good topic of further discussion as to what face shield designs are effective and which are not.

Thanks for your patience with me, and for any answers you choose to provide.

Tim
 
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