sample internal document · 5 sections indexed
Chainsaw safe operating procedure (sample)
Sample document. Every figure below is invented.
Tree Truck publishes none of this, and a council should not. It was written for this demo to stand in for the chainsaw safe operating procedure a health and safety provider issues to a tree crew, and that a foreman walks a new employee through on paper. Modelled on the section structure and the review date of the real procedure; every word of the content is invented, and the sign-off is left unnamed because no real person is ever the subject of an invented record, so the seats have something real-shaped to read. Nothing here is a claim about Tree Truck.
Readable from: Manager, Foreman, Driver. Every other seat is refused this document by name.
Section 1
Status of this procedure: last reviewed 3 March 2023, and what has changed since
This is the current chainsaw safe operating procedure held by the business. It was issued by the external health and safety provider, and the review block records it as last reviewed on 3 March 2023, with the adviser signature block left unnamed in this sample. No review has been recorded against it since. Two things have changed in the regime it operates under since that date. The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Amendment Regulations 2024 took effect on 17 October 2024 and replaced the growth limit zone schedule. The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Amendment Regulations 2026 took effect on 23 July 2026, revoked the notice zone, and added the treefall hazard regime. A procedure last reviewed on 3 March 2023 is more than three years older than the current regime, so it is out of date on the law even where it remains sound on the saw. Treat the review date as the answer to whether this document is current: it is the version in use, and it has not been reviewed against the rules now in force.
Section 2
Personal protective equipment required before the saw is started
The following personal protective equipment is required for any chainsaw work and is checked by the foreman before the saw is started. A hard hat, worn at all times under canopy. Eye protection, either a mesh visor or safety glasses rated for impact. Hearing protection, worn whenever the saw is running and not lifted between cuts. Cut-resistant gloves. Chainsaw chaps or trousers rated to the saw being used, undamaged and correctly fastened. Safety boots with toe protection and grip suited to the ground. High-visibility clothing where the work is on or beside a road. Any item that is damaged, soaked in fuel or past its rating is taken out of service rather than used for the rest of the day, and the foreman records the replacement. Personal protective equipment is the last control, not the first: it is worn on top of a plan for the tree, not instead of one.
Section 3
Pre-operational checks made on the saw before every start
These checks are made before every start, not once a day. Check for fuel leaks at the cap, the line and the tank seam, and do not start a saw that is leaking. Check the chain brake engages and releases cleanly by hand. Check all guards and the rear handguard are present and undamaged. Check the anti-vibration mountings for splits or perishing. Check the chain for sharpness, for damaged or missing cutters, and for correct tension, so the chain sits into the bar groove and still turns freely by hand with a glove on. Check the bar for burring and even wear. Check the throttle interlock returns the throttle to idle when released. Check the chain catcher is in place. A saw that fails any of these checks is tagged and taken off the job, and the foreman is told before the crew starts, not at the end of the day.
Section 4
Operation and shutdown
Start the saw on the ground or with it locked against the body, with the chain brake engaged and clear of any obstruction. Keep both hands on the saw with thumbs wrapped throughout the cut. Stand to the side of the cutting line, never directly behind the bar. Keep the tip of the bar out of contact, because kickback comes from the upper quadrant of the tip. Plan and clear an escape route before making a felling cut, and call the cut so everyone on the ground knows it is coming. Shut down between cuts of more than a few seconds. On shutdown, engage the chain brake, let the saw cool before it goes back in the vehicle, and check the bar and chain for damage that would matter on the next start. Refuelling happens on the ground, away from the vehicle and off the cut material, and the saw is wiped down before it is restarted.
Section 5
Forbidden activities: the four things that end the job on the spot
The following are forbidden under this procedure and no supervisor may authorise them. Operating a chainsaw above shoulder height. Working from an unstable platform, which includes a ladder, a stack of cut material, a wet or unsecured roof, and the tray of a moving vehicle. Refuelling a hot engine. Operating a chainsaw without having passed an approved chainsaw operators course, and holding the record of it. There is no version of the job that justifies any of these, and any one of them stops the work immediately and is reported the same day. The procedure also refers out to the company health and safety manual and hazard register for the wider controls, and to the site-specific risk assessment for anything the standing controls do not cover.