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HOT HUMID WEATHER
• Heavy protective clothing can increase
operator fatigue which may lead to heat
stroke.
Schedule heavy work for early morning, or late
afternoon hours when temperatures are cooler.
VIBRATION AND COLD
• It is believed that a condition called Raynaud’s
Phenomenon, which affects the fingers of certain
individuals, may be brought about by exposure to
vibration and cold.
Exposure to vibration and cold may cause
tingling and burning followed by loss of color and
numbness in the fingers.
The following precautions are strongly
recommended because the minimum exposure
which might trigger the ailment is unknown.
• Keep your body warm, especially the head and
neck, feet and ankles and hands and wrists.
• Maintain good blood circulation by performing
vigorous arm exercises during frequent work
breaks and also by not smoking.
• Limit the number of hours of operation.Try to fill
each day with jobs where operating the chain
saw, or other hand-held power equipment is not
required.
• If you experience discomfort redness and
swelling of the fingers, followed by whitening and
loss of feeling, consult your physician before
further exposing yourself to cold and vibration.
REPETITIVE STRESS INJURY
• It is believed that overusing the muscles and
tendons of the finger, hands, arms and shoulders
may cause soreness, swelling, numbness,
weakness and extreme pain to the areas just
mentioned.
Certain repetitive hand activities may put you at
a high risk for developing a repetitive stress
injury (RSI).
• An extreme RSI condition is Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome (CTS) which could occur when your
wrist swells and squeezes a vital nerve that runs
through the area. Some believe that prolonged
exposure to vibration may contribute to CTS.
CTS can cause severe pain for months or even
years.
To reduce the risk of RSI/CTS, do the following:
• Avoid using your wrist in a bent, extended or
twisted position.
• Take periodic breaks to minimize repetition and
rest your hands.
• Reduce the speed and force in which you do the
repetitive movement.
• Do exercises to strengthen hand and arm
muscles.
• See a doctor if you feet tingling, numbness or
pain in your fingers, hands, wrists or arms.
The sooner RSI/CTS is diagnosed, the more
likely permanent nerve and muscle damage can
be prevented.
EYE AND HEARING
PROTECTION
• Wear eye protection goggles that meet ANSI
Z 87.1 requirements.
Goggles meeting the requirements have the
mark “Z 87” stamped on them.
• Wear hearing protection.
If this guideline is not followed, hearing loss can
occur.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970
(OHSA) requires the use of hearing protection if
you use the unit more than two hours per day.
ECHO recommends wearing hearing protection at
all times.
WEAR PROPER CLOTHING
• Snug fitting durable clothing should be worn.
Pants should have long legs, DO NOT WEAR
SHORTS.
Do not wear loose fitting clothing, scarves,
neckties, jewelry or any item that may become
tangled in surrounding growth or the trimmer
itself.
• Wear shoes with non-skid soles.
DO NOT wear open toed shoes or operate unit
barefooted.
• Wear no-slip, heavy duty work gloves to improve
your grip on the trimmer handles.
The gloves also help reduce the transmission of
machine vibration to your hands.
Special vibration reducing gloves such as
ECHO’s PRO-COMFORT are designed to provide
additional comfort.
OPERATOR SAFETY