Chainsaw chaps save the day in eastern Idaho

A pair of chainsaw chaps saved the day (not to mention legs) recently for a member of the District 6 Salmon Maintenance Crew.

Earlier this fall, Jeff Eagle’s Salmon crew was cutting brush and trees away from the side of the highway, to improve sight distance for motorists, with the goal of reducing wildlife-vehicle hits.

Although the crew has very good operators, because they operate the chainsaws almost weekly to clear areas in the region, the operator in this case let the saw get a little too close to his body and it pierced the chaps.

“As you can see from the photo, the cuts could have been life-threatening because of the location,” Eagle said.

“Luckily, the chaps worked as advertised and protected the operator. Had the operator not been wearing the chaps and if he would have been in one of our remote locations, it could have been catastrophic.”

Eagle has a specific message to employees:

“I just wanted to remind all ITD employees to please make sure you take the necessary precautions and wear the proper protection at work and at home. Nothing else will stop the chainsaw from seriously cutting you, and it only takes a minute.”

All of our sheds with chainsaws have chaps available, according to ITD Employee Safety & Risk Manager Randy Danner. “This story makes it clear that our employees need to wear chaps at all times when operating a chainsaw...for their own safety.”

 

Published 11-22-19