Hydraulic Splitter Safe Work Procedure
Personal Protective Equipment:
 Hearing protection – muffs or earplugs
 Eye protection – safety glasses or goggles
 Gloves
 Boots with slip-resistant sole
Hazards:
 Pinching or crushing fingers or hand with ram
 Pinching or crushing toes or feet with dropped log
 Tripping or falling over split wood accumulating under splitter
 Splinters or cuts when handling wood
 Flying debris impacting face or eye
 Sound – prolonged exposure to engine noise
 CO/CO2 – exposure to engine exhaust
Procedures:
When loading logs into a log splitter:
 Always place your hands on the sides on the log, not on the ends,
before placing the wood inside the log splitter.
 Never use your foot to help stabilize a log.
 Failure to follow these log splitter safety tips may result in crushed or
amputated fingers, toes, hands or feet.
Using a log splitter:
 Use only your hands to operate the log splitter controls.
 Never attempt to split more than one log at a time when using a log
splitter. If the ram has been fully extended and a second log is needed
to the complete the separation of the first log, only then two logs can
be placed in the log splitter.
 When splitting wood that is not cut squarely, place the longest portion
of the log inside the splitter (facing towards the beam and wedge) with
the square side placed at the end plate.
When splitting wood in the vertical position:
 Stabilize the log before moving the log splitter control.
 Place log on the end plate and turn until it is stable against the beam.
 Stabilize with wood chips or split wood between the log and end plate
or ground when splitting large or extra-large or uneven logs in the log
splitter.
Always keep fingers away from any cracks that open in the log while splitting
wood. Failure to follow the log splitting safety tip can result in pinched or
amputated fingers.