Two Metres, Two Hands, Two Escape Routes: A Chainsaw Safety Briefing That Starts Before the Engine Does

Protective clothing comes first, but the rules that actually keep chainsaw users out of hospital begin with the machine switched off.

That is the thrust of guidance assembled from three specialist advisory sources — Kettensägen-Berater, Institut du Bricolage and Sumai-Fuukei — covering everything from the kit a user wears to the decibel level a garden saw puts out.

What the kit has to include

Anyone running a petrol chainsaw, whether at home or on a commercial job, is told to start with a matched set of personal protective equipment: a helmet with an integrated visor, cut-protection trousers, gloves, protective boots, ear defenders and safety glasses. The advice is that these components work as a system rather than as optional extras.

Distances, escape routes and the kickback trap

Around the machine itself, Kettensägen-Berater sets a minimum safety zone of 2 m. Bystanders need a clearance of at least 2–3 m. For felling work, two escape routes must be planned in advance.

Mechanical hazards get their own checklist. The chain brake should be tested before every single task, and a saw that has lost braking effect must be taken out of service. Kickback, the guidance explains, typically happens when the tip of the guide bar meets the wood — which is why work above shoulder height is ruled out.

Felling a difficult tree alone is another practice the advisory source warns against, as is operating a saw under the influence of alcohol or medication. Refuelling, meanwhile, is permitted only once the machine has cooled down.

Checks before the first cut

Institut du Bricolage adds a pre-start routine: verify chain tension, sharpness, chain lubrication, the chain brake and the anti-kickback devices. Clothing should sit close to the body.

Two hands on the saw at all times, and no digging the bar tip into the timber. The guidance is equally blunt about cutting above shoulder height and about working from ladders — both are to be avoided outright, with height work handed to trained professionals.

Fuel goes in only when the engine is cold and stopped, outdoors, and with no smoking. Regular breaks are recommended to counter the loss of concentration that comes with fatigue.

Battery saws and the noise question

For domestic garden use, Sumai-Fuukei compares the machine categories and comes down in favour of battery chainsaws. They run at roughly 75–80 dB, against about 85–90 dB for corded models and 100–110 dB for petrol-driven saws.

Weight figures need reading carefully. A catalogue dry weight of 1.5–2.0 kg translates to about 2.8–3.2 kg ready to run. For ordinary household work, a ready-to-use total of around 4.0 kg is suggested.

Bar length follows the timber: 150–250 mm for branches of 10–20 cm diameter, and 300–350 mm for trunks of 25–30 cm. The rule of thumb is bar length equal to trunk diameter plus 5 cm.

Beginners are steered towards saws with a rear handle rather than top-handle designs. The guidance also pinpoints the kickback zone at the upper quarter of the bar tip.

Jackets: standards, classes and the limits of the label

On upper-body protection, Net-Motoculture points to three things that matter when choosing a cut-protection jacket: which standard applies, which protection class it meets, and which body zones are actually covered. Older products follow EN 381-11; newer ones fall under the EN ISO 11393 series. CE marking is mandatory.

Class 1 jackets are tested at a chain speed of 20 m/s. According to Net-Motoculture, that offers no guarantee the chain will stop completely, so the jacket's rating must be checked against the saw's performance profile and the site risk assessment.

Protection comes from layers of technical fibres that can be pulled into the drive sprocket and jam the chain — damage limitation rather than a full barrier. Coverage of the shoulders, chest, arms, upper back and abdomen varies between makers, so the manufacturer's diagrams need comparing. A jacket is no substitute for cut-protection trousers, and getting the right clothing size is essential if the protective elements are to sit where they belong.