ISO 11393 Protective Clothing for Handheld Chainsaw Users

The ISO 11393 standard, published by the International Standards Organization (ISO), consists of the following subsections under the main title of "Protective clothing for hand-held chainsaw users":

• ISO 11393-1 Part 1: Test equipment for testing resistance to cutting with a chainsaw
• ISO 11393-2 Part 2: Performance requirements and test methods for leg protectors
• ISO 11393-3 Part 3: Test methods for footwear
• ISO 11393-4 Part 4: Performance requirements and test methods for protective gloves
• ISO 11393-5 Part 5: Performance requirements and test methods for protective gaiters
• ISO 11393-6 Part 6: Performance requirements and test methods for upper body protectors

The ISO 11393-1 standard describes a test setup for assessing the resistance to cutting of protective clothing, shoes and gloves by hand-held chainsaws. This standard also includes the calibration procedure. For the purposes of this standard

• Chain brake refers to the effect in which the fibers or other materials of the personal protective equipment slow down the speed of the saw chain.
• Chain slip refers to the protective effect that allows the saw chain to slide over the surface of the protective material without cutting.
• Chain stop time refers to the time it takes for the saw chain to come to a complete stop from a certain speed after the power is turned off.
• Chainsaw refers to the portable electric saw with teeth on the saw chain.
• Clogging refers to the effect of fibers, threads or other materials being pulled into the saw unit by the saw chain, thereby stopping the movement of the saw chain.
• The cutting line refers to the line tangent to the curve made by the teeth of the saw chain at the point of contact with the test specimen.
• The free-running stop time refers to the time the flywheel completely stops when the power is cut off when no chain is attached to the guide bar.
• Cut resistance refers to the various ways the protective material can prevent the chainsaw chain from being cut or slowed down. It is measured by applying a moving saw chain with a given chain speed and energy and examining whether the chain is cut.

The ISO 11393-2 standard describes performance requirements, test methods, design requirements, and identification and marking information for leg protectors that protect against cuts by hand-held chainsaws. For the purposes of this standard,

• The appendix refers to the connection (usually the seam) between the personal protective piece and the outer or lining fabric.
• Bond strength refers to the force that the bond between the protective insert and any structural fabric can withstand, regardless of the way the protective insert is attached to the outer fabric.
• Cheeks refer to leg protectors that cover the front of one leg and attach to the waist and back of the leg.
• The crotch refers to the point between the legs where the two side seams run upward from the inside of each leg.
• Leg protectors refer to any type of protective clothing that protects at least the specified protective area up to a certain level of resistance for the leg.
• Protective material refers to material designed to protect the user against the cutting action of a hand-held chainsaw.

The ISO 11393-3 standard describes test methods for assessing the resistance of shoes to cuts by hand-held chainsaws. This standard only applies to shoes with integrated protection. Methods for testing other forms of foot and leg protection against hand-held chainsaws, such as gaiters, are covered in other parts of this standard.

The ISO 11393-4 standard describes performance requirements, test methods, design requirements, and identification and marking information for gloves that protect against cuts by hand-held chainsaws. Information on the use of the chainsaw and the selection of gloves is included in the standard annex (Appendix A). For the purposes of this standard,

• The saw safety glove refers to the product that protects the back of the hand from being cut by a hand-held chainsaw.
• Cuff refers to the part of the glove that covers the wrist.

The ISO 11393-5 standard describes requirements and test methods for evaluating gaiters' resistance to cuts by hand-held chainsaws and other properties. This standard contains a requirement and a test method for evaluating the strength of the underfoot straps of leggings. This standard also applies to gaiters used with steel toe safety shoes conforming to “C” or “D” defined in ISO 20345 standard. These leggings are designed for use with a defined shoe model only and have been tested together. These products are designed for, but are not limited to, use with a defined orthopedic shoe model. Also, this standard does not apply to gaiters intended for use in situations where there is a significant risk of tripping, such as tree climbing or forests. For the purposes of this standard, gaiters refer to shoes with a removable cover intended to protect the forefoot, ankle and lower leg from being cut by a hand-held chainsaw.

The ISO 11393-6 standard describes performance requirements, test methods, design requirements, and identification and marking information for upper body protectors that protect against cuts by hand-held chainsaws. In addition, procedures are described for sampling and pretreatment of upper body protectors, measurement of protective coating, apparatus and test methods for assessing cut resistance, and practical performance testing for evaluating ergonomic properties. Guidance on the use of chainsaws and the selection of appropriate upper body protectors is included in the standard appendix (Annex A). For the purposes of this standard,

• The protective material unit refers to the cut piece of protective material consisting of all the fabric or other layers that enter the structure of a garment and form the protective material without any bonding therein. Units can be combined to provide the full coverage required before being fitted to clothing, but such units retain their individuality for testing purposes.
• Upper body protector refers to any protective clothing (eg jacket) that protects the specified area at least up to the specified chainsaw cut resistance level for the upper body.

The ISO 11393 standard generally consists of a series of personal protective equipment designed to protect against the risks arising from the use of hand-held chainsaws, mainly produced for sawing wood.

Portable hand-held chainsaws are normally powered by electric or internal combustion engines. Experience has shown that it is difficult to determine the technical characteristics of a fuel-powered engine.

No personal protective equipment can provide complete protection against cuts from a hand-held chainsaw. However, experience has shown that it is possible to design personal protective equipment that offers a certain degree of protection.

Different functional principles can be applied to provide protection. These include:

• Chain slippage does not cut the chain material on contact.
• In the event of clogging, the fibers are drawn by the chain to the drive sprocket and block chain movement.
• Chain braking, the fibers have a high resistance to shear and absorb rotational energy, thereby reducing the chain speed.

Among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides test services for hand-held chainsaw users, within the scope of ISO 11393 standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.