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RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION
A. Kickback Safety Precaution for Chain Saw Users
WARNING!
KICKBACK may occur when the nose or tip of the guide bar
touches an object, or when the wood closes in and pinches
the saw chain in the cut.
Tip contact in some cases may cause a lightning fast reverse
REACTION, Kicking the guide bar up and back towards the
operator, pinching the saw chain along the top of the guide
bar rapidly back towards the operator. Either of these reac-
tions may cause you to lose control of the saw which could
result in serious personal injury.
Do not rely exclusively upon the safety devices built into your
saw. As a chain saw user, you should take several steps to
keep your cutting jobs free from accident or injury.
1. With a basic understanding of kickback, you can reduce
or eliminate the element of surprise. Sudden surprise
contributes to accidents.
2. Keep a good firm grip on the saw with both hands, the
right hand on the rear handle, and the left hand on the
front handle, when the engine is running. Use a firm grip
with thumbs and fingers encircling the chain saw handles.
A firm grip will help you reduce kickback and maintain
control of the saw. Dont’ let go.
3. Make sure that the area in which you are cutting is free
from obstructions. Do not let the nose of th guide bar
contact a log, branch, or any other obstruction which
could be hit while you are operating the saw.
4. Cut at high engine speeds.
5. Do not overreach or cut above shoulder height.
6. Follow manufacturer’s sharpening and maintenance in-
structions for the saw chain.
7. Only use replacement bars and chains specified by the
manufacturer or the equivalent.
B. Other Safety Precautions
1. Do not operate a chain saw with one hand! Serious injury
to the operator, helpers, bystanders, or any combination
of these persons may result from one-handed operation.
A chain saw is intended for two-handed use.
2. Do not operate a chain saw when you are fatigued.
3. Use safety footwear; snug-fitting clothing; protective gloves;
and eye, hearing and head protection devices.
4. Use caution when handling fuel. Move the chain saw at
least 10 feet (3 m) from the fueling point before starting
the engine.
5. Do not allow other persons to be near the chain saw
when starting or cutting with the chain saw. Keep by-
standers and animals out of the work area.
6. Do not start cutting until you have a clear work area,
secure footing, and a planned retreat path from the falling
tree.
7. Keep all parts of your body away from the saw chain
when the engine is running.
8. Before you start the engine, make sure that the saw chain
is not contacting anything.
9. Carry the chain saw with the engine stopped, the guide
bar and saw chain to the rear, and the muffler away from
your body.
10. Do not operate a chain saw that is damaged, improperly
adjusted, or not completely and securely assembled. Be
sure that the saw chain stops moving when the throttle
control trigger is released.
11. Shut off the engine before setting the chain saw down.
12. Use extreme caution when cutting small size brush and
saplings because slender material may catch the saw
chain and be whipped toward you or pull you off balance.
13. When cutting a limb that is under tension, be alert for
springback so that you will not be struck when the ten-
sion in the wood fibers is released.
14. Keep th handles dry, clean, and free of oil or fuel mixture.
15. Operate the chain saw only in well-ventilated areas.
16. Do not operate a chain saw in a tree unless you have
been specifcally trained to do so.
17. All chain saw service, other than the items listed in the
operator’s manual maintenance instructions, should be
performed by competent chain saw service personnel.
(For example, if improper tools are used to remove the
flywheel or if an improper tool is used to hold the flywheel
in order to remove the clutch, structural damage to the
flywheel could occur and could subsequently cause the
flywheel to burst.)
18. When transporting your chain saw, use the appropriate
gude bar scabbard.
19. Spark arrester mufflers approved to SAE Standard J335b
are Standard on ECHO Chain saws to reduce the possi-
bility of forest fires. Do not operate the chain saw with a
loose or defective muffler. Do not remove the spark ar-
rester screen.