Poulan PPB40PS Owner Manual - Page 7

SAFETY RULES CHILD SAFETY Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is not aware of the presence of children. • Keep children out of the working area and under the watchful care of a responsible adult. • Do not allow children under the age of 14 to operate this polesaw. Children who are 14 years of age and older must read and understand the operating instructions and safety rules in this manual and must be trained and supervised by a parent. • Stay alert, and turn the polesaw off if a child or any other person enters the working area. • Use extreme care when approaching blind corners, doorways, shrubs, trees, or other objects that may obscure your view of a child who may run into the path of the polesaw. WARNING:(PROPOSITION 65) Some dust created by power sanding, sawing, grinding, drilling, and other construction activities contains chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Some examples of these chemicals are: • Lead from lead-based paints • Crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other masonry products, and • Arsenic and chromium from chemically treated lumber. Your risk of exposure to these chemicals varies depending on how often you do this type of work. To reduce your exposure to these chemicals, work in a well-ventilated area, and work with approved safety equipment, such as dust masks that are specially designed to filter out microscopic particles. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS KICKBACK Kickback may occur when the nose or tip of the guide bar touches an object, or when the wood closes in and pinches the saw chain in the cut. Tip contact in some cases may cause a sudden reverse reaction, kicking the guide bar up and back towards the operator. Pinching the saw chain along the top of the guide bar may push the guide bar rapidly back towards the operator. Either of these reactions may cause you to lose control of the saw which could result in serious personal injury. Do not rely exclusively upon the safety devices built into your saw. As a polesaw user, you should take several steps to keep your cutting jobs free from accident or injury. CAUSES AND OPERATOR PREVENTION OF KICKBACK • Maintain a firm grip, with thumbs and fingers encircling the polesaw handles, with both hands on the saw and position your body and arm to allow you to resist kickback forces. Kickback forces can be controlled by the operator, if proper precautions are taken. Do not let go of the polesaw. • Only use replacement bars and chains specified by the manufacturer. Incorrect replacement bars and chains may cause chain breakage and/or kickback. • Follow the manufacturer's sharpening and maintenance instructions for the saw chain. Decreasing the depth gauge height can lead to increased kickback. • Push and Pull - This reaction force is always opposite to the direction the chain is moving where contact is made with the wood. Thus, the operator must be ready to control the PULL when cutting on the bottom edge of the bar, and the PUSH when cutting along the top edge. 7