A wood chipper makes it easy to maintain your lawn. This type of outdoor power equipment has a powerful motor with high torque. It has a rotating drum with chipper knives that cut the branches and twigs into small pieces.
Proper operation is important to avoid any risk of injury when operating the wood chipper. Here are some safety tips that you must follow when operating the equipment.
1. Wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
Personal protection equipment is important when you are using the power chipper. The blades of the wood chipper move at high speeds. Small chopped pieces come out of the chipper like shrapnel that can result in an eye injury.
To protect yourself when operating a wood chipper, you should at least wear eye goggles. Moreover, it is also important to wear close-fitting gloves and boots to minimize the chances of an injury.
Consider other safety measures like wearing hearing protection, long sleeves, and heavy jeans when operating a wood chipper. Each of these protection items will shield you from objects that can cause an injury when operating the lawn maintenance equipment.
2. Place Wood Chipper on Level Ground
You must place the wood chipper on an even surface. Placing the equipment on a level surface will prevent it from tripping or moving during operation. A chipper that trips or moves position when operating due to being placed on an uneven surface increases the risk of an injury.
3. Stand on the Side of Equipment
Chipper knives can grab anything within reach. It can grab long hair, jewelry, sleeves, and even arms. That’s why you must stand on the side of the equipment to avoid an injury rather than the front.
You must feed branches while standing on the side of the wood chipper. This will help prevent serious injuries when operating the outdoor equipment.
4. Protect the Equipment
You must take precautions to not only protect yourself but also the equipment during operation. A wood chipper should be used to chip only fresh wood. Avoid chipping old wood as it is harder that will damage the blade of the chipper.
Note that a chipper can only handle small wood pieces. You should not feed wood that is larger than the size recommended in the manual.
Never feed large wood, metal, or stone as it can damage the equipment. Hard objects can jam inside the machine and damage the blade. Moreover, there is also a risk that the equipment will shoot back the hard object resulting in an injury.
5. Set Parking Brake
Set the parking brake when moving the wood chipper with a tractor or other vehicle. This is an important safety measure to ensure that the equipment does not start during transport. Moreover, you should also keep the tractor clean of any type of debris that could get inside the chipper. The object can eject and cause injury when you start the chipper.
6. Inspect the Guards
Many injuries happen when operating the chipper due to the absence of guards. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.212 recommends the use of guards in chippers to protect from flying debris and rotating parts.
Guards act as a safety device protecting against injuries. You must check and make sure that the outdoor power equipment has proper guards to avoid an accident during operation.
DR Power Store is the leading Huntsville DR equipment dealer. Contact us for Huntsville power equipment rentals and sales. We have been supplying quality lawn equipment in Alabama for over 30 years. Get in touch with us today for all types of outdoor power equipment for the maintenance of your lawn.
Recent Comments