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SOME ADDITIONAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
PRECAUTIONS IN HOT, HUMID WEATHER - Heavy clothing can
increase an operator’s fatigue. Heat stroke or heat exhaustion is pos-
sible. Under these adverse conditions, you must judge whether wearing
heavy protective clothing or lighter but less protective items bears the
least risk. Or you might wisely choose to delay work until the tempera-
ture drops.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST 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 cold and
vibration. Accordingly, your ECHO pole saw has a vibration reduction
system designed to reduce the intensity of vibration received through
the handles. Exposure to cold and vibration may cause tingling and
burning followed by loss of color and numbness in the fingers. We
strongly recommend that you take the following precautions because the
minimum exposure which might trigger the ailment is unknown.
• Keep your body warm, especially the head, neck, feet, ankles, hands
and wrists.
• Maintain good blood circulation by performing vigorous arm exer-
cises during frequent work breaks and also by not smoking.
• Limit the number of hours of cutting operation. Try to fill a part of
each work day with jobs other than pruning.
• 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.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST REPETITIVE STRESS INJURIES - It is
believed that overusing the muscles and tendons of the fingers, 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 can occur when your wrist swells and squeezes a vital nerve that
runs through the area. Some believe that prolonged exposure to vibra-
tion 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.
Instead, try to maintain a straight wrist position. Also, when grasp-
ing, use your whole hand, not just the thumb and index finger.
• 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 the hand and arm muscles.
• Immediately stop using all power equipment and consult a doctor if
you feel tingling, numbness or pain in the fingers, hands, wrists or
arms. The sooner RSI/CTS is diagnosed, the more likely permanent
nerve and muscle damage can be prevented.
EQUIPMENT TO BRING ALONG - When using gasoline powered
engines, fuel supplies should be carried in approved fuel containers.
Bring an extinguisher or shovel in case of a fire. Despite the precautions
which can be taken, operating a pole saw presents some dangers so keep
a first aid kit handy.