Colorado Firecamp

1. WORK PROJECT / ACTIVITY

2. LOCATION

3. UNIT

   S-212/MTDC Chainsaw Training

   Salida, Colorado

JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS (JHA)

4. NAME OF ANALYST

5. JOB TITLE

6. DATE PREPARED

References-FSH 6709.11 and 12 (Instructions on Reverse)

   Kent Maxwell
   Mark Thomas

  Training Coordinator
  Lead Instructor

4/20/2009
updated 8/25/2010

7. TASKS / PROCEDURES

8. HAZARDS

9. ABATEMENT ACTIONS
Engineering Controls * Substitution * Administrative Controls * PPE

Training requirements

personal injury

• Successful completion of S-212 course or MTDC Chain Saw/Crosscut saw training course.
• Certified in basic first-aid and CPR.
• Do not exceed your level of training. If you are a trainee you must have a qualified person supervising your activities.

Training certification

• Chainsaw operators shall be properly certified prior to operation and will adhere to any restrictions or limitations placed upon them.
• Chainsaw operators may only exceed the restrictions or limitations placed on them if they are under the supervision of a qualified individual who is certified at a higher level of saw operation.
• For the purposes of training, additional individuals besides the saw operator may be allowed with-in a 2 ½ times tree height radius if under supervision of a qualified instructor.

Personal protective equipment

cuts, eye injuries, hearing loss, burns

• Appropriate gloves (cut resistant for sharpening), hardhat, hearing protection (85dB and above,) long sleeve shirt, chaps(recommended to overlap top of  boots 2”), boots - 8” high with skid resistant soles, and eye protection.
• Proper PPE must be worn at all times.

Equipment

injury, damage to equipment or adjacent resources

• Ensure chainsaw is in proper working order with fully functional chain brake.
• Ensure chain is properly sharpened and adjusted.
• Ensure falling axe of appropriate size and weight.
• Ensure proper size and number of wedges.

Transporting chain saws

fire, damage to equipment, and personal injury

• Saw should be transported either purged of all fuel, or completely full.
• Bars should be covered during transportation.
• Saws should be secured in compartments away from people in a manner that will minimize shifting to prevent damage to saw and apparatus.
• When transporting saws by rotor or fixed wing aircraft follow direction of pilot of qualified person in charge.
• Do not carry saws or fuel containers in passenger compartment.

Walking with chain saw

cuts, falls, sprains and strains

• Engage chain brake or shut off chain if walking more than 50 feet.
• While carrying chain saw on shoulder ensure that chain and dogs are covered.

Size-up

head injury, cuts, falling, and slipping

• Size up the tree considering the tree species, height, diameter, lean, soundness, current and previous fire damage, split or broken top, overhead hazards, widow makers, and other hazard tree indicators.
• Sound the trunk.  Bore tree if necessary to determine soundness.
• Walk anticipated lay of tree and check for hazards.
• Clear work area of hazards and obstuctions.
• Determine and clear primary and secondary escape routes.
• Ensure that area 2 1/2 times the height of the tree to be felled is clear of personnel.
• Be alert for envirormental conditions that could increase risk (strong/gusty winds, steep slopes, etc.)
• Ensure adquete traffic control measures are taken on roads and trails.  Take and maintain area control.
• If the identified tree cannot be safely removed and presents a hazard, the area will be flagged off at a safe distance and an alternate mitigation used.

Starting procedure

loss of control, cuts from contact with moving chain

The methods to safely start and operate a saw can vary with the model and size.  The following basic precautions generally apply regardless of the saw model:

• Maintain a secure grip on the saw at all times.
• Start the saw on the ground or ensure saw is firmly supported.
• Do not "drop start" a chain saw. 
• Chain brake must be engaged.
• Operator must announce, “Starting saw!”

Felling process

head injury, eye injury, cuts, amputation, crushing injuries, death

• No employee shall approach a faller closer than 2-1/2 tree lengths of trees being felled until the faller has acknowledged that it is safe to do so, unless it is demonstrated that a team of employees is necessary to manually fell a particular tree, or to observe in a training situation with an instructor
• Follow proper felling procedure as outlined in S-212 or MTDC chainsaw course.
• Initiate undercut at a level that ensures adequate footing and balance throughout cutting sequence.
• Prior to starting the back cut, the saw should be stopped and the area surveyed to ensure that nobody has entered the area. A warning should be sounded as to the intentions of your actions (i.e. “tree coming down, sidehill.”)  Operator must announce, “Tree falling!”
• At the first sign of the tree commiting to the undercut proceed to safety zone.
• No felling operations will be conducted at night or during times the top of tree being felled is obscured.

Working in a group using a chainsaw

struck by tree and limbs, head injury,crushing injury, death

• Space employees so that activies of one will not create a hazard for another.
• Have workers and felling crews on the same contour rather than some working above and below others on steep slopes.
• Establish and maintain area control and communications.

Limbing

cuts, injury from limbs whipping back, crushing injuries

• Beware of other logs, branches, or rocks immediately behind the area where you are bucking, brushing, or limbing for possible kickback potential or rocking of the chain.
• Watch for limbs under tension, and be aware of kick back and bar pinch.
• Be cautious when limbing on the downhill sides of trees. Limbs may be holding tree in place, be aware that the log may roll after a limb is cut.
• Know where the tip of your bar is at all times.
• Walk the tree and make plan for limb removal sequence.
• Maintain clear area for footing. 
• Engage chain brake if operator removes a hand from saw.
Must have escape route.

Bucking

cuts, injury from limbs whipping back, crushing injuries

• Beware of other logs, branches, or rocks in work area.
• Avoid bucking on the downhill side.
• Ensure log is stable.
• Check area for overhead hazards.
• Must have escape route.

Saw team operations

cuts, struck by trees and limbs, head injury, crushing injury, death

• No employee shall approach a faller closer than 2-1/2 tree lengths of trees being felled until the faller has acknowledged that it is safe to do so, unless it is demonstrated that a team of employees is necessary to manually fell a particular tree.
• Engage chain brake.
• Do not allow swamper to “reach in” to grab brush.
• Ensure swamper in clear of hazards when conducting limbing and bucking operations.
• Sawyer and swamper communicate with each other when pulling brush and working close together.

Traffic control

injury to public, damage to vehicles.

• Ensure road gaurds are in place along travel routes when
felling trees that are along the travel routes.
• Establish radio communications between road guards and the sawer when needed.

Fueling chain saws

burns, possible fire

• Allow chain saw to cool for at least 5-minutes before refueling.
• Fill the tank on bare ground or other noncombustable surface.
• Immediately clean up spilled fuel / use a funnel.
• Refuel out doors and at least 20 feet from an open flame or other sources of ignition.
• Start the saw at least 10 feet from the fueling area.

Pre-work briefing / tailgate safety session

• Brief employees on work assignment and objectives.
• Insure required PPE is being utilized.
• Review applicable JHAs, hazard tree indicators and mitigation measures including LCES (lookouts, communications, escape routes, safety zones). 
• Refer to attachment at end of this JHA.
• Brief employees on the plan that would be executed in the event of a serious employee illness/injury that would require medical evacuation.

10. LINE OFFICER SIGNATURE

11. TITLE

12. DATE

Kent Maxwell

training coordinator

April 22, 2009

Previous edition is obsolete

(over)