Chipper Safety
The hazards associated with chipper use are generally known; however, awareness of these hazards and the associated safeguards must be continually highlighted and reinforced. Training, certification, and verification of operators are key to preventing injuries or death in the successful operation of chippers.
PPE Required
- Safety goggles to protect from debris, such as wood chips, snapping branches, and other flying objects. A ventilated face shield should be worn; be sure to wear safety glasses underneath.
- Earmuffs/earplugs.
- Safety hardhat to protect against materials that may be kicked out of the chipper.
- Snug-fitting leather gloves without cuffs to protect against injuries to the hand, such as splinters, thorns, cuts, and cold temperatures.
- Steel-toed/safety toe boots with nonslip soles.
- Reflective Type II minimum Breakaway High visibility safety vests when working around traffic.
Pre-Operation
- Wood chippers need to be inspected each day before startup to look for defects such as broken or missing hood latches and pins or cracked and worn hinges.
- Broken, damaged or missing machine components must be repaired or replaced before the machine is placed in service.
- Access panels for maintenance and adjustment, including discharge chute and cutter housing, shall be closed and secured prior to starting the engine of brush chippers.
- Workers must be trained in safe work procedures, including operating the wood chipper, safety devices, and safety controls. These procedures should be based on the manufacturer’s recommendations for each machine.
- Workers should be trained on proper PPE to use for chipper operations. Workers should be trained in lock-ou tag-out procedures.
- All safety devices and controls, such as emergency shut-off devices, are tested and verified to be functioning properly before the chipper is used.
Startup Procedures
- Open feed table/tailgate, remove any stowed items (i.e., cones)
- Make sure cones are set up behind the chipper where the operator will be working. Make sure access panels for maintenance and adjustment are closed and secure prior to operation.
- Verify the feed chute is pointed in the correct direction and is unobstructed.
- Position the chipper for unobstructed access to debris (do not place debris in the walking path in front of the chipper)
- Hold the starter safety switch and the tum key to start
- Engage clutch below 10,000 rpm
Operating A Chipper
- ALL Operators must be certified to prior to using a chipper.
- Ear and eye protection must be worn. Tear-away style vests must be worn near traffic or for high-visibility situations.
- Workers must wear close-fitting clothing, gloves without cuffs, long pants without cuffs, and anti-skid-resistant footwear. Clothing should be tucked in. Long hair must be tied back. Watches and jewelry must not be worn.
- While operating the chipper, NEVER reach into a chipper with the engine on or feed wheel turning-always wait for it to be completely shut down and motionless.
- NEVER feed the chipper when someone is in the area of the discharge chute.
- Feed the chipper from the corners of the feed table. If working near traffic, feed the chipper from the curb side whenever possible, keeping it away from oncoming traffic.
- At least two workers should always be in close contact with each other when operating the machine. Single operator work crews are not allowed.
- Clear the area of all other employees and bystanders; the area should be controlled at all times.
- Before processing material and unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise, the machine should run at the lowest possible speed while workers listen for noises that might indicate broken or loose machine parts.
- If unusual noise is detected, the machine should be shut down immediately and evaluated by a competent person.
- Do not use a machine that is not in proper working order; get it fixed!
- The hood covering the chipper knives must be completely closed and latched according to the manufacturer’s recommendations before starting the machine.
- The brush chipper chute shall NEVER be raised while the motor is running.
- Keep hands and feet out of the immediate infeed chute area while the chipper is running at all times.
- Push material into the feed rollers with a wooden tool or a long branch. Never push in by hand or use feet.
- Feed brush and limbs into the infeed hopper butt-end first.
- Workers feeding material shall be positioned to the side of the machine to allow for quick operation of the emergency shut-off device and to minimize the risk of entanglement of branches. Because of differences among machines, the manufacturer’s operating manual should be consulted for guidance. Safe feeding of some disc-type chippers requires the worker to be on the right side.
- Workers should walk away from the machine a reasonable distance once the mechanism has grabbed the material to prevent entanglement.
- Lay shorter material on top of longer material or use a longer branch to push it through the infeed hopper. Workers load small raked-up material, such as twigs and leaves, directly into the chip truck or into trash cans or bags. Do not use the chipper to load these items into the truck! Material such as stones, nails, sweepings, etc., shall not be fed into brush chippers.
- If the machine jams, shut it down! Workers shall never place hands, arms, legs, feet, or any other part of the body on the feed table when the chipper is in operation or the rotor is turning.
- Never leave the machine unattended while running. Brush chippers should be equipped with a locking device on the ignition system to prevent unauthorized start-up and use of the equipment
