A Guide to Chainsaw Protective Clothing and Equipment

Chainsaws are potentially one of the most dangerous tools in general use, the saw is made to cut easily through large branches and tree trunks so any part of the human body will have no resistance at all to the cutting power in use.

Therefore there are recognised standards for the PPE required to minimise the risks in the case of clothing these are the standards EN 381. These standards specify levels of protection related to the speed of the chain and also the amount of coverage of the protected areas.

Class 0 resists chains up to the speed of 16 metres per second
Class 1 resists chains up to the speed of 20 metres per second
Class 2 resists chains up to the speed of 24 metres per second
Class 3 resists chains up to the speed of 28 metres per second
Class 4 resists chains up to the speed of 34 metres per second

There are also different parts to the standards each of which covers a specific part of the body:

EN 381-5 Leg protection
This is split into 3 different levels A, B and C and the minimum requirement is Class 1
A protects the front and ride side rear to both legs
B gives additional protection to rear left side of the right leg
C gives all round protection to both legs

EN 381-7 Chainsaw Gloves
This is split into 2 Different Levels A and B
A gives protection to the left hand
B gives protection to both hands

EN 381-9 Chainsaw protective Gaiters
These are recommended for occasional chainsaw users when working on even ground with little risk of tripping or snagging, worn in combination with steel toecap safety boots

EN381-11 Upper part of Body
These garments are normally Class 0 as to achieve higher levels would involve so many layers of material that the garment will be too heavy and unwieldy, leading to lack of mobility and the increased risk of heat exhaustion, both of these will have a negative impact on Safety.

There is a separate standard for Footwear EN 17249:2004
These items cannot be Class 0, they can be Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 and are the only items that can achieve Class 4 status.
They must be marked with the Year and Quarter of manufacture.

How does chainsaw protection work?

There is no flexible material that can be worn as clothing, gloves or boots that can be totally impervious to cuts from chainsaw blades. Therefore a number of layers of protection are the only way forward.

The outer layer normally comprises of a material that is tough and slippery, this is mainly to ensure that outer surface is resistant to minor damage from thorns and other snagging mediums, which could expose the under protective layers. Beneath this, long, loose fibres of ballistic nylon or Kevlar are layered. When a saw contacts the trousers, the outer layer is immediately cut and the nylon or Kevlar is drawn out and wraps around the saw's drive sprocket, locking it solid and halting the chain, thereby limiting damage to the operator's limb.

Once the item has been cut it must be scrapped as the protection has been totally compromised. The saw must be stripped down and the fibres fully removed before using it again.

Marking

All Chainsaw protective clothing, boots and gloves sold in the EU must carry a pictogram depicting a chainsaw and information of the Class and Design it is rated to, this pictogram must be a minimum of 30mm x 30mm. For example:

Other items that must be used when using a chainsaw are:
Safety Helmet to the minimum standard EN 397 but recommended to EN 12492 if involved in tree climbing operations.
Hearing Protection to EN 352-1 (noise levels are typically 115 dB)
Eye Protection Mesh Visor to EN 1731
Safety Glasses to EN 166
As these are used for protection in other activities not just for chainsaw work they do not have to be marked with the pictogram.

Granite Workwear has always kept up to date with the latest developments in Chainsaw Protective Clothing and Equipment and indeed have a specialist Forestry section on the web site which is subdivided into Clothing, Footwear and Tools and Accessories. New items are added on a regular basis as they become available, we are very happy to answer any questions you may have on what is the best solution for your particular needs.

Slip Resistant Soles

Statistics show that slips, trips and falls on the same level are a major cause of workplace accidents in the UK - almost 11,000 are reported each year to the Health and Safety Executive, they account for 39% of non-fatal major injuries. It has been estimated that these accidents cost the UK economy as much as £750 million per annum, £300 million of which is directly attributable to UK employers.

Employers use a variety of control measures to reduce the risk of slips, however due to the working conditions there may be cases where a significant slip risk remains. Introducing footwear with slip-resistant properties may be the only effective way they can further reduce the risk.


There are many safety boots and shoes that claim to have slip resistant soles; however are they truly slip resistant and what standards are they tested to?

Footwear marketed as 'slip resistant' may not perform as well as expected, so care has to be taken when choosing footwear from brochure descriptions alone.

Although footwear may be marketed as 'slip resistant', some have not been tested for this. Check with your supplier if the footwear has actually been tested for slip resistance then request the test details and results. Although the footwear may have been tested, the results from the test may not be an accurate guide as to how footwear will perform in the conditions that you want to use it in.

BS EN 13287 is the current European standard for footwear slip resistance.
This standard is a simple pass/fail test. However most footwear tested will pass testing and can therefore be marked as slip resistant. But the marking system used does not distinguish between footwear with low slip resistance and very good slip resistance. Simply passing this standard does not guarantee that the footwear will be effective in a particular workplace.

Depending on the test conditions chosen, footwear tested according to the EN standards is now marked with one of the following codes, SRA, SRB, or SRC.

The codes indicate that the footwear has met the specified requirements when tested as follows:
SRA – tested on ceramic tile wetted with dilute soap solution
SRB – tested on smooth steel with glycerol
SRC – tested under both the above conditions

Footwear products once tested and certified are stamped with the CE mark. The manufacturer also provides user information indicating the applications for which the footwear is suitable.

To provide more detailed information, the Health and Safety Laboratory have carried out a series of tests for the Health and Safety Executive, on soles that are claimed to be slip resistant and those that don’t. They use a ramp test that does not give a pass/fail but classifies footwear as exhibiting poor, average or good slip resistance where there is a particular contaminant on a given surface.

The tests were carried out on five different surface/contaminant conditions; water on steel, glycerol on steel, glycerol on quarry tile, water on 5 bar aluminium chequer plate and glycerol on 5 bar aluminium chequer plate.

The feedback from the end users is that the footwear that performs well on the test also performs well in the workplace. The study also showed that some footwear marketed as slip resistant gave a high slip risk when tested on the HSL ramp, further demonstrating that no one product will be suitable in all situations - a risk assessment should always be carried out when selecting footwear.

The detailed results of this testing can be found in the Research Report RR780. This project is a continuation of previously published work by HSE. When significant new safety, protective or occupational footwear is marketed as slip resistant or becomes widely used in the work place, HSL procures and tests it in order to assess its slip potential. This combined report now includes 86 pieces of footwear as a further 30 items were tested.

The report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy. The HSE considers that by publishing this information there is an increased likelihood that buyers will obtain good slip-resistant footwear on the basis of informed choices.

This testing focuses on slip resistance on hard indoor flooring surfaces; it does not mean that these findings can be extrapolated to show the slip resistance of footwear on the variable outdoor surfaces that can be encountered, where other factors may come into play.

A Guide to High Visibility Clothing

We have all seen workers wearing high visibility clothing, after all that is the purpose of these products, ensuring that people working on building sites, roads, railways, airports forests etc are easily seen for their own safety.

However many people do not know the standards that high visibility clothing must achieve for it to comply with legislation and industry codes of practice.

The most common colours that are used are fluorescent yellow and orange, sometimes you will see people with matching tops and trousers and others with orange trousers and yellow tops and vice versa.

Standards

The main standard in the UK and Europe is EN471:2003, this splits down into Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. Class 3 is of a higher standard than Class 2 as it has higher areas of material and more reflective bands. Class 1 with 0.14 sqm of fluorescent material and 0.10 sqm of retroreflective material is the lowest level and includes garments like over-trousers and harnesses, Class 2 with 0.5 sqm of florescent material and 0.13 sqm of retroreflective materials includes tabards, sleeveless waistcoats, short sleeved shirts and bib and brace trousers, class 3 with 0.8 sqm of fluorescent material and 0.2 sqm of retroreflective materials includes coats, shirts and jackets with sleeves, full body long-sleeved overalls and two piece suits. Also the regulations specify that there must be similar amounts of the fluorescent material on the front and the back of the garment.
The retroreflective bands can be inclined no more than 20°, the bands on the legs can be freely positioned from the bottom of the leg. The bands must not be less than 50mm wide

Class 2

Class 3

As an example of use; workers on dual carriageway roads or motorways with a speed limit of over 50 mph must wear class 3. Those working on other roads with lower speeds can wear Class 2.

Tests

In testing these garments to the standard the various components have to fulfil certain criteria:

Retroreflective Materials, brightness after: Rainfall, Temperature variation, Abrasion, Cold folding, Flexing, Washing and Dry Cleaning
Also if the garments are expected to be commercially laundered, the retroreflective material must be tested according to ISO 15797 Industrial Laundering Wash Test Method for 5 cycles.

Fluorescent Materials: UV exposure, Dimensional change, Water vapour resistance, colour fastness, Mechanical properties.

Selection Criteria

When choosing the correct clothing obviously any specific regulations must be taken into account. If there are none of these then the choice should take account of a number of factors; light levels both ambient and artificial, the affects of weather such as fog, snow or rain are some examples.

For some jobs only a Class 1 or 2 may be acceptable but where there is a particular risk then Class 3 will be required.

Remember PPE must always be suitable for the work; therefore you may need specialist fabrics like flame retardant, chemical resistant or anti-static as well as high visibility. Also the PPE must be comfortable for the wearer and should not restrict movement or increase tiredness through either heat build up cold.

Employers must provide the correct equipment free of charge to those employees who need it and must also provide storage facilities for clothing when not in use. They must also provide adequate information, instruction and training to allow the employees to use the HV clothing correctly. This must contain the explanation of why the clothing is needed, the risks and how and when it must be worn.

The employee must wear the clothing as instructed and also look after it, checking for any damage and reporting this to the employer.

Railways

As stated before on roads and other areas you can wear yellow, orange or a mix of colours, however this is not the case with workers on the railways.

The Railway Group Standard GO/RT 3279:2008 still requires the garments to conform to EN471:2003 but specifies that the garments must be orange in colour and also they must meet at least Class 2 levels.

The GO/RT standard also states that the visible material of the garment must not be compromised by the addition of company names or logos. Also there are limited titles or job designations allowed these are:-
• Rail Incident Officer (RIO)
• Press Officer
• Recovery Engineer
• First Aider
• Train Operators’ Liaison Officer (TOLO)

There is also a special standard for a High Visibility Mini Vest which has the requirement of 0.26 sqm of orange fluorescent material and 0.12 sqm of retroreflective material. This is below the EN 471 Class 2 level but significantly higher than Class1. The retroreflective material must be no less than 50mm wide and must have one horizontal band not less than 50mm above the bottom edge and then have one band over each shoulder connecting the front and back of the horizontal band. There is also the requirement for the shoulders and sides to be joined by means of touch and close or press stud fastenings, so that they will come apart if caught by an external object. The Pulsarail PR145 Tear Apart Vest on the Granite Workwear website fully conforms to this standard.

There is a full range of GO/RT 3279:2008 standard garments under the Hi Viz Railway (Orange) category including specialist clothing for using with Chainsaws when working on or near railways. Included in this category are a number of accessories including back packs, bags, armbands and warning flags.

Also a full range of Yellow High Visibility garments can be found in the Hi Viz Yellow category, all compliant to EN471:2003. In both categories where the testing certificates are attached to the pages so that you can be sure that the garments comply with the regulations.