Stihl MSA 161 T Instruction Manual page 17

6 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
6.5.2 Holding and Controlling the Chain Saw
WARNING
￭ To reduce the risk of personal injury from unintentional
starting when grasping the control handle or carrying the
chain saw:
– Wrap the fingers of your right hand tightly around the
control handle. Avoid contacting the trigger switch
lockout or trigger switch.
￭
￭ To maintain a firm grip and properly control your chain
saw:
– Keep the handles clean and dry at all times. Keep
them free of moisture, pitch, oil, grease and resin.
￭ To reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries to the
operator or bystanders from loss of control:
– Avoid contacting any object with the
upper quadrant of the tip of the guide
bar. It may cause kickback to occur.
0458-791-8621-C
– Always hold the chain saw firmly with
both hands when you are working. One-
handed operation increases the risk of
injury. It makes it difficult to control
reactive forces and to prevent the bar
and chain from skating or bouncing along
the limb or log.
– Even for those compact chain saws
designed for use in confined spaces,
one-handed operation increases the risk
that the operator may lose control.
– Place your left hand on the front handle and your
right hand on the control handle (see illustration
above). Left-handers must follow these instructions
too.
– Wrap your fingers tightly around the handles,
keeping the handles cradled between your thumb
and forefinger.
– Position the chain saw in such a way that all parts of
your body are clear of the cutting attachment
whenever the motor is running. Stand to the left of
the cut while cutting, outside of the cutting plane.
– Read and follow all warnings and instructions in the
chapter Kickback and Reactive Forces, @ 7.
￭ Operating the chain saw with one hand is extremely
dangerous. One-handed operation makes it difficult to
oppose and absorb reactive forces (pushback, pull-in,
kickback) without losing control of the chain saw. It also
makes it difficult to prevent the bar and chain from skating
or bouncing along a limb or log. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injury to the operator or bystanders from
loss of control:
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