ARE CHAPS NECESSARY?

Background:
Barney worked for a company that had an informal safety program that conducted occasional safety meetings. He was 23 years old when this accident occurred.

Personal Characteristics:
Barney was paid by the cord. Although his company provided his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including chaps, Barney did not wear them on the day of his accident.

Accident:
Barney's job was to de-limb trees using his chainsaw. He wore most of the required PPE except his chaps. As he straddled the tree, Barney did not see the limb that was pulled back and lodged under the limb he was trimming. When the limb he trimmed dropped, it hit the lodged limb. The lodged limb released, hit the chainsaw, and forced it back into Barney's shin.

Injury:
The saw blade chewed through Barney's pants, cut a six-inch gash on his shin, and severed the tendons to his ankle. Seven months later Barney recovered and returned to work.

Unsafe Act/Conditions:
Barney failed to wear all the appropriate PPE and straddled the tree versus standing to one side of it.

Preventive Measure(s):
Management should require and ensure all employees wear full leg protection with cut-resistant material
Stand on one side of the log or the other. Do not straddle it.

Is there something else they can do?