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Technology &
Development Center

Sixty Years of Innovation and Problem Solving

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Chaps for Chain Saw Safety

Kevlar fabric in chain saw chaps protects users from injuries. The chaps were developed during the 1960s. Testing allows the Technology and Development Program to ensure that the chaps continue to work even as chain saws are modified to run faster.

[photo] Chain saw chap fabric being tested with a chain saw. [photo] Chain saw chap fabric being tested with a chain saw. [photo] Sawyer wearing Kevlar chain saw chaps while using a chain saw.

Employee Health and Safety

The USDA Forest Service's Health and Safety Code Handbook was completely revised in 1999 with the help of the Technology and Development Program. The program also has produced an accident investigation guide that helps agency officials investigate accidents properly, reducing the chance that mistakes will be repeated.

[photo] Two editions of the Forest Service Health and Safety Code Handbook resting on a picture of a man using a chain saw to fell a tree.

Personal Protective Equipment

One way employees can reduce the risk of injury on the job is to use the proper personal protective equipment, such as hardhats, chain saw chaps, or special clothing that does not continue burning after the heat source is removed. The Technology and Development Program tests, and in some cases, designs the personal protective equipment used by employees of the USDA Forest Service and other Federal and State agencies.

[photo] Forest Service firefighters using proper protective equipment like hardhats, shirts, gloves, and pants.

The program also maintains the specifications for personal protective equipment, handtools, and other equipment used by all Federal and State agencies that fight wildland fires. Large-volume purchases from contractors who produce that equipment to the program's specifications save enough money to pay the cost of the Technology and Development Program several times over.

Employee Safety Videos

Sociologists and videographers collaborate to produce videos on employee safety. Sociologists interview employees to determine the most important issues. In these videos, employees use their own words as they describe solutions to common problems.

[photo] Employee safety videos resting on a picture of Technology and Development Program employees filming a video.

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