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CHAINSAW MAID!


Punkypink

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you brits need certification to use a chainsaw?

 

OUCH...

Well strangely, yes & no. I thought it was the same for you, 'Yanks'? :huh:

 

Like so many things in the UK, there is no ruling on this for private use. Ie, (other than top handled saws) anyone can buy a saw & operate it.

 

This is because, most of the current legislation, is linked with employment law. So, if you want to use a saw as part of your job, it's an entirely different thing:

 

1, Want to chop wood for yourself in your back garden? Get a saw, get on with it.

 

2, Want to do it for a living? Bare minimum, is a weeks training course, with a practical exam, costing in the region of £500. This covers basic saw operation, maintenance & safety. It doesn't cover felling, or off ground operations. For that, you can expect a year or two at college!

 

It is a bit of a joke, because there is absolutely no difference, between using a saw privately or professionally; the dangers are the same. Why these two opposing standards are allowed is beyond me.

 

Having said all that, I'm a fully qualified arborist (as you like to call it in the U.S. 'Arboraculturalist', as we say in the UK, 'arb' to those in the trade, or 'tree surgeon', to the plebs ;) ), fully aware of the dangers to novice saw users.

 

Hence my original comments. Good instruction & a bit of practice, reduces the risk significantly but accidents, are often catastrophic & can be fatal. If you have never used a saw & have no one to train you, don't take the risk. After all, how am I going to pay the mortgage? :D

 

 

Greg.

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