Wood Chipper Safety
Some machines like the wood chipper can be quite dangerous to use. If you are not equipped with the right skills to be able to operate it, you need to take the time to learn it first. Wood chippers are not toys to be played and in fact, many people have fallen victims to this rather dangerous machine. In line with owning a wood chipper, it should be automatic for people to look for wood chipper safety features. Do not wait for an accident to happen for you to take this seriously.
Wood Chipper Accidents
There's been a number of recorded accidents that are related to wood chippers. People have lost their lives because of carelessness. You just have to understand that this machine is capable of feeding on hard wood and your body is no match for the powerful machine. So, if you are not careful, it can really hurt you and take you down.
Wood chippers are equipped with things like knives, blades, and sharp disks that do not have minds of their own. If you programmed a machine to cut, it will not stop cutting unless you turn it off. If your hand gets in contact with the blade, the blade will not know that it is your hand, and it is for this very reason that people have met unfortunate ends with the use of wood chippers. Wood chipper safety has been disregarded and ignored many times over and people have paid dearly for it. Did you know that some people have been pulled into the machine and devoured by it? People have met the angry blades and faced death, in an instant.
Wood Chipper Safety Precautions
There is no way to tell whether or not you will be safe when you operate the machine, so it is essential that you arm yourself with the necessary wood chipper safety precautions.
- Clothing: Always wear snug long sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Accessories: Do not forget to wear protective eyewear because some splinters can sometimes escape from the machine and when it gets into your eye it will not only be painful, but it can cause you harm. There are goggles and sunglasses that you can wear.
- Make sure to read the operation instructions carefully especially if you haven't used the machine before. If you know someone who has used this very particular equipment, it may be smart to contact him or her and ask for guidance and tutorial.
Emergency Features
Most chippers come with wood chipper safety features and if you are going to be the operator, you need to be familiar with these:
- The feed control bar acts like a hazard that a person can press, once danger is eminent. It is pressure sensitive, and once it is pressed, it immediately cuts power throughout the entire system.
- The emergency pull rope is another feature that only specific models have. Once the ropes are pulled, there will be a pull on the ropes that will automatically reverse the movement of the feed rollers, so that instead of going in, it comes out.
- The panic bar in the hydraulic system stops and kills the system when needed.