How to Safely Use a Brush Chipper
Site preparation and clearing tasks often require cutting down trees, which creates a lot of fallen branches that require disposal. Brush chippers, also known as wood chippers, are essential pieces of equipment for many forestry operations. They quickly transform tree limbs into wood chips for useful purposes such as erosion control and producing composting material and mulch.
Look no further than the nearest location of The Cat® Rental Store to find high-quality brush chippers for rent at affordable rates, along with top-notch customer service.
Brush Chipper Safety Tips
While wood chippers include a host of safety features, they do contain sharp blades and other moving parts. Contacting these components during operation can cause severe injuries. Use the following tips regarding how to safely use a brush chipper to minimize the risk for you and your work crews:
- Get to know your wood chipper: The more you know about your wood chipper, the more likely you'll be able to operate it correctly — and safely. The team at The Cat Rental Store will be happy to explain how the equipment works and even provide training for your crew.
- Proper placement: Place the brush chipper on level ground, If you must operate it on a slight slope, chock the wheels to prevent it from rolling.
- Safe operating range: Maintain a distance of at least two log or tree lengths between the machine and the other workers at the site during operation.
- Wear proper attire: Always wear a hard hat, safety goggles, earplugs and gloves (not gauntlet-style gloves).Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling jewelry pieces that could get caught in the machine and potentially pull you into the blades. Tuck long hair under a hat and wear a net to protect a longer beard.
- Proper feeding: Feed the chipper slowly and carefully with smaller limbs or pieces of wood. Use a pole or similar object to push the materials into the chipper. Do not overload the unit with larger pieces. The machine may eject them, which can cause severe injuries if they strike a worker.
- Stay focused: Even a moment's distraction can be dangerous when operating a brush chipper. Always maintain your concentration and take a break if you start to lose your focus.
- Additional protection: Use guarding for the infeed and discharge ports to keep from contacting the operating components.
- Don't reach inside: Never reach into a brush chipper while it's operating. Use a lockout system to ensure the chipper is de-energized when servicing the unit.
- Work area: Keep the work area clean to prevent slipping on piles of wood chips or sawdust.
Contact The Cat® Rental Store to Learn More
For more brush chipper safety tips or to begin the rental process, give us a call at 1-800-RENT-CAT today. To browse our current chipper inventory, please click here. If you'd like to request a quick quote, fill out and submit our online contact form.
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