General Safety Rules - Ryobi P540 Operator's Manual

IN THE cUTTING/WORK AREA
 Do not operate a chain saw in a tree, on a ladder, or scaf-
fold; this is extremely dangerous.
 Keep ALL children, bystanders, visitors, and animals out
of the work area while starting or cutting with the chain
saw.
NOTE: The size of the work area depends on the job
being performed as well as the size tree or work piece
involved. For example, felling a tree requires a larger work
area than making bucking cuts.
 Never start cutting until you have a clear work area, secure
footing, and a planned retreat path from the falling tree.
Cluttered area invite injuries.
 Do not expose the chain saw to rain.
 Do not use the chain saw in damp or wet locations.
 Do not use the chain saw near flammable liquids, gases,
or in any type of explosive atmosphere.
 Use extreme caution when cutting small size brush and
saplings, because slender material may catch the saw
chain and be whipped toward you or pull you off bal-
ance.
 When cutting a limb that is under tension, be alert for
spring back so that you will not be struck when the ten-
sion in the wood fibers is released.
 Do not force the chain saw. The job can be performed
better and safer at the rate for which it was intended.
 Always use the right product for your application. The
chain saw should be used for cutting wood only. Never
use the chain saw to cut plastic, masonry or non-wood
building materials.
 Do not use the chain saw for purposes not intended.
 Store idle chain saw when not in use. Chain saw should
be stored in a dry and high or locked area out of the reach
of children. When storing chain saw, remove battery and
place the scabbard on the bar and chain or store the chain
saw in a carry case.
 Remove the battery pack from the chain saw before
cleaning, servicing, storing, removing material from the
unit, changing accessories such as the bar and chain, or
when not in use.

GENERAL SAFETY RULES

5
UNdERSTANdING YOUR cHAIN SAW SAFETY
dEVIcES
See Figure 4.
SAFE-T-TIP Anti-Kickback Nose Guard
®
®
The SAFE-T-TIP prevents kickback from happening, be-
cause it covers the tip of the bar where kickback is gener-
ated. Never attempt any kind of cutting where the SAFE-T-
TIP ® would have to be removed from the bar tip.
LOW KIcKBAcK SAW cHAIN
The rakers (depth gauges) ahead of each cutter can minimize
the force of a kickback reaction by preventing the cutters
from digging in too deeply at the kickback zone. Only use
replacement chain that is equivalent to original chain or has
been certified as low kickback chain per ANSI B175.1.
Low kickback saw chain is chain that has met the kickback
performance requirements of ANSI B175.1 - 1991 (Amer-
ican National Standard for Power Tools - Gasoline-Powered
Chain Saws-Safety Requirements) when tested on the rep-
resentative sample of chain saws below 3.8 c.i.d. specified
in ANSI B175.1 - 1991.
As saw chains are sharpened during their useful life, they
lose some of the low kickback qualities and extra caution
should be used.
GUIdE BARS
Generally, guide bars with small radius tips have somewhat
lower kickback potentials.
When making a replacement, be sure to order one of the
Ryobi bars listed for the saw in this operator's manual. The
®
proper size SAFE-T-TIP nose guard comes installed on the
bar. Use only guide bars that have a provision for mounting
®
the SAFE-T-TIP .
sAfE-T-TIp ®
Fig.