Safe Woodcutters Guide 8

Leg Protection For Chain Saw User

There have been many ideas on how to protect chain saw users against the chain saw. All kinds of material have been sewn into or onto garments, to protect the body of the chain saw operator. Protective pants and chaps for chain saw operators today are available in a wide variety of styles and materials used for the protection.

Protective garments, (pants, chaps or leggings) have "protective pads" sewn into the inside. Usually the protective pads are built up with serveral layers of a "protective material".

In 1992, American Pulpwood Association, APA, adopted the APA Standard, Leg Protection for Chain Saw Users.

"This Standard specifies minimum requirements for the design, performance, testing, and certification of protective garments and devices designed to provide cut resistance protection to the legs for operators of power chain saws."

"The objective of this Standard is to prescribe fit, function and performance criteria for protective garments and devices worn by chain saw users which are intended to reduce leg injuries caused by contact with a running power saw chain."

American Pulpwood Association
1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 1020
Washington, DC 20005

Wrap Chaps which saved a leg of the owner.

Protective Pad
Protective material permanently sewn into or onto the protective garment or device, designed to reduce leg injuries in the event of contact with a moving power saw chain.

Jamming
In testing for cut resistance, the ability of a material to stop chain movement independent of cut resistance (syn. clogging).

Chain stop
The resulting action when materials of the leg protective garment or device clog the drive sprocket or slow the speed sufficiently to prevent advancement of saw chain.

Cut Resistance
In testing for chain saw cut resistance, the ability of a material, while in contact with the linked cutters, to resist the penetration of the cutter of a moving saw chain independent of jamming. Standards and tests of protective garments for chain saw operators have been used for decades in Europe. In many countries there are obligatory rules for safety requirements in logging operations. Chain saw operators are not allowed to work without certified leg protection. The new mandatory requirement standards proposed by OSHA states "Employees whose assigned duties require them to operate a chain saw shall be provide with, and shall wear.. protection covering each leg from upper thigh to boot top or shoe top.." These types of safety rules must in practice be linked with performance criteria's and laboratory test. The APA Standard, Leg Protection for Chain Saw Users, will help to bring some parts of the OSHA standards to the chain saw users.

Today, there are two types of protective materials used in the protective pads of leg protection:

Non jamming protective materials

Jamming protective materials

Non jamming protective materials
These protective materials offer some form of resistance to the chain saw chain. These materials should allow the operator time to react but are not designed to stop a moving chain saw chain. A chain saw could cut through this type of material, it is just a question of time.
Non jamming protective materials are fabrics like ballistic nylon fibres and fabrics of aramide fibres.

Jamming protective materials
Protective materials with fibres which, when touched by a running saw chain, are drawn into the chain saw and jam and clog the drive sprocket thereby stopping or slowing the speed of the saw chain. "Jamming" is the clogging action which takes place when the saw chain hits and pulls out fibres and filaments from this type of protective material.
These materials are designed to provide protection by jamming and clogging the saw chain.

Jamming protective materials are advanced protective materials and in many countries with rigorous safety rules for leg protection like Germany and the Scandinavien countries, the only leg protective materials accepted.
One type of jamming protective material is manufactured by EngTex in Sweden and sewn into leg protection in the US by Gränsfors Bruks Inc. in Summerville, SC, under the trademark EngTex/SwedePro™.

The jamming protective material in these chaps saved the leg of the operator.

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Leg Protection For Chain Saw User
There have been many ideas on how to protect chain saw users against the chain saw. All kinds of material have been sewn into or onto garments, to protect the body of the chain saw operator. Protective pants and chaps for chain saw operators today are available in a wide variety of styles and materials used for the protection. Protective garments, (pants, chaps or leggings) have "protective pads" sewn into the inside. Usually the protective pads are built up with serveral layers of a "protective material". In 1992, American Pulpwood Association, APA, adopted the APA Standard, Leg Protection for Chain Saw Users. "This Standard specifies minimum requirements for the design, performance, testing, and certification of protective garments and devices designed to provide cut resistance protection to the legs for operators of power chain saws."	"The objective of this Standard is to prescribe fit, function and performance criteria for protective garments and devices worn by chain saw users which are intended to reduce leg injuries caused by contact with a running power saw chain." American Pulpwood Association 1025 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20005 Wrap Chaps which saved a leg of the owner.

Protective Pad Protective material permanently sewn into or onto the protective garment or device, designed to reduce leg injuries in the event of contact with a moving power saw chain. Jamming In testing for cut resistance, the ability of a material to stop chain movement independent of cut resistance (syn. clogging). Chain stop The resulting action when materials of the leg protective garment or device clog the drive sprocket or slow the speed sufficiently to prevent advancement of saw chain. Cut Resistance In testing for chain saw cut resistance, the ability of a material, while in contact with the linked cutters, to resist the penetration of the cutter of a moving saw chain independent of jamming. Standards and tests of protective garments for chain saw operators have been used for decades in Europe. In many countries there are obligatory rules for safety requirements in logging operations. Chain saw operators are not allowed to work without certified leg protection. The new mandatory requirement standards proposed by OSHA states "Employees whose assigned duties require them to operate a chain saw shall be provide with, and shall wear.. protection covering each leg from upper thigh to boot top or shoe top.." These types of safety rules must in practice be linked with performance criteria's and laboratory test. The APA Standard, Leg Protection for Chain Saw Users, will help to bring some parts of the OSHA standards to the chain saw users.

Today, there are two types of protective materials used in the protective pads of leg protection: Non jamming protective materials Jamming protective materials Non jamming protective materials These protective materials offer some form of resistance to the chain saw chain. These materials should allow the operator time to react but are not designed to stop a moving chain saw chain. A chain saw could cut through this type of material, it is just a question of time. Non jamming protective materials are fabrics like ballistic nylon fibres and fabrics of aramide fibres. Jamming protective materials Protective materials with fibres which, when touched by a running saw chain, are drawn into the chain saw and jam and clog the drive sprocket thereby stopping or slowing the speed of the saw chain. "Jamming" is the clogging action which takes place when the saw chain hits and pulls out fibres and filaments from this type of protective material. These materials are designed to provide protection by jamming and clogging the saw chain.	Jamming protective materials are advanced protective materials and in many countries with rigorous safety rules for leg protection like Germany and the Scandinavien countries, the only leg protective materials accepted. One type of jamming protective material is manufactured by EngTex in Sweden and sewn into leg protection in the US by Gränsfors Bruks Inc. in Summerville, SC, under the trademark EngTex/SwedePro™. The jamming protective material in these chaps saved the leg of the operator.