An essential part of the safety equipment you should be wearing if you are using a chainsaw are chainsaw trousers. This provides essential protection for the lower half of the body which is at greater risk of injury from a chainsaw.
Under the personal protective equipment at work regulations 1992, the law states that you should wear suitable protective clothing. For the use and operation of a chainsaw this includes chainsaw trousers as well as gloves, boots and helmet including ear mufflers and face guard.
With health and safety people sometimes flout these rules thinking that accidents will never happen to them. When working with a chainsaw you should never take that risk. Injury to the lower extremities from a chainsaw can result in very serious injury or death.
Wearing the proper leg protection means wearing special chainsaw trousers. Chainsaw trousers are designed specifically to protect users of chainsaws against leg injury. They incorporate special loosely woven long nylon fibres which when in contact with a chainsaw lock up the chain preventing it from cutting into your legs.
Not all trousers are the same and protective clothing for use with chainsaws are designed specifically for different situations. There are generally two types of leggings known as Type A and Type C, the former offering just front protection whilst the latter offers all round leg protection.
It may seem strange to leave out the protection for the rear part of your legs, why have the options at all. Type A chainsaw protective trousers are essentially offering the same level of protection as chainsaw chaps. When you are working in what can be hot condition for long hours, as a professional, you have to whey up the benefits of all round protection against the weight, comfort and flexibility offered by different models if leggings.
Protective clothing is improving all the time but generally the greater the level of protection your trousers offer the lower the levels of flexibility, cooling and the greater the weight. All round leg protection is great if you only have to work for a few hours at a time but any longer and you end up getting hot, sweaty, tired and where the danger lays you end up getting distracted.
Essentially having the lighter front only protection offered by Type A protective trousers is more preferable for professionals who work longer hours with a chainsaw and are more adept, skilled and knowledgeable about handling this hazardous type of equipment. Whereas the casual chainsaw user would benefit from a pair of Type C trousers where potential cuts and tears to the rear of the legs can be protected against in addition to the fronts.
You can fix a chainsaw but the injury resulting from a chainsaw accident to the legs will not be so easy to fix. Always ensure you are wearing chainsaw trousers that are British standards approved with BSEN381.
