Archive for the ‘Heavy Equipment Safety’ Category

Heavy equipment safety training has two aspects and they are both covered by workplace safety laws. Those working as heavy equipment operators have a responsibility to themselves and to everyone and everything around them. Those working on the ground have exactly the same responsibility. Heavy equipment safety often covers both in the cab and on the ground safety aspects.

Communication is one area that is common to those both in the cab and on the ground. Whether it’s via hand signals or through the use of two-way radios - being able to clearly understand what is being communicated is important.

For those on the ground, and for operators, jumping on and off moving equipment is considered a dangerous act and should not be attempted. If you are on the ground, you should wait until the equipment has come to a stop before attempting to get on. For the operator, if someone is wanting to get on board, the obvious step is to make your equipment safe so they can get on.

Safety laws include the wearing of safety equipment such as hard hats, footwear and specialist equipment such as hearing protection. Both ground and cab personnel need to be aware of what safety clothing is required and to be using them on the job.

Observation is another key area for both heavy equipment operators and ground workers. For the operators, this includes equipment inspections prior to starting work. For those on the ground, being aware of and reporting unusual noises and/or vibrations coming from the heavy equipment can help to prevent serious accidents, or serious equipment breakdowns.

Heavy equipment safety involves everyone on a work site whether you are an operator or part of the ground crew. Heavy equipment safety covers a broad spectrum of issues - what is important is that these are fully understood. A lack of understanding can lead to serious accidents often resulting in death - sometimes that of the operator. Heavy equipment safety training - it’s more important that you realize.

Safety has been recognized as one of the most important issues in workplaces. To help reduce workplace accidents, training organizations now include heavy equipment safety training in all their heavy equipment training programs. Safety is really a matter of common sense. Unfortunately, saving time and taking shortcuts and plain carelessness are the two leading causes of accidents.

There are three core concepts to heavy equipment safety training. As I mentioned, they are based really on common sense. These three concepts are:

• Protection of Self - You would think this was one area where operators wouldn’t need training. However, they do. Simple observations like being aware of overhead powerlines, other equipment and the terrain you are operating on are extremely important. Correctly anchoring or balancing your work is also important. The ramifications of not protecting yourself can often impact elsewhere with people and property around you also at risk.
• Protection of those around us - Protecting your work colleagues is the second concept. Again, it comes back to awareness. Do you know who is working around you and where they are? Being aware of what is going on around you is important. This helps you to avoid placing them at any risk. Those issues mentioned above also help to protect those working around you.
• Protection of property - If you are protecting yourself and protecting your work colleagues then the chances are you will also be protecting the property around you. At the risk of sounding like a cracked record - awareness is again the main issue. Knowing where buildings and vehicles are at all times helps you to ensure you don’t come into contact with them at any time.

I said there were three basic concepts and there are. But as you can see, when it comes to heavy equipment safety, being observant and aware of what is going on around you is at the center of those concepts. There are other issues, of course: maintenance, preparation, a clear head; they are all a part of heavy equipment safety. Are you a safe worker - or do you cut corners and work carelessly? If that’s you then you should perhaps consider another career rather than heavy equipment.

Heavy equipment safety is one of the most important aspects of any heavy equipment training program. Sure, learning to operate a piece of heavy equipment is mighty important, but doing it safely is actually more important. In fact, most employers would rather you didn’t operate the equipment at all if you don’t know how to do it safely.

This has been backed up over the past decade with legislation at both a Federal and State level which now requires work sites to operate to a certain level of safety standards. There are safety inspectors touring workplaces and undertaking safety audits. If a business fails its safety audit there can be rather large fines issued.

We at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools take safety seriously and include all relevant safety practices within our training. We do not consider a student competent to operate heavy equipment unless they can do so according to those safety standards. In fact, we go one step further and insist our trainers are fully conversant with safety procedures before allowing them to train others. As a student, our expectation is that you will take heavy equipment safety seriously as well. Otherwise you could cause serious injury to yourself, a fellow student or one of our instructors during training.

Believe it or not, heavy equipment safety starts at home. Your work gear may be a part of the safety requirements. Steel toe boots and most likely a hard hat as well. However, that is just the external coverings. Heavy equipment safety starts from within; it requires an alert mind, eyes that can see, and an attitude that ensure you operate according to procedures. Dull any of these through substance abuse, poor sleep or an all night party and suddenly everyone could be in danger.

Yes - heavy equipment safety is important and it does start at home.

Heavy equipment safety has been at front of all construction related and heavy equipment related training programs for several years now. There is a good reason for this emphasis - in simple terms, too many people had their lives ruined by accidents. It is not just the worker who suffers in an accident. There are the worker’s colleagues, the employer and, of course, the injured worker’s family. They all become victims of the one simple accident.

Safety is all the more important on a construction site as there are many people working in and around the site. As a heavy equipment operator you need to work in a manner that gets the job done yet causes no harm to yourself or to any other person (or property). Ultimately, someone has to be responsible for this safety - who do you think it is?

Current legislation on both a state and national basis requires businesses to conform to certain safety standards. This includes nominating someone as a safety officer, providing clear safety guidelines, and, where required, providing safety training.

However, when you’re on the job, no amount of legislation, nor number of safety officers, or hours training, can take over your next move. Sure, your next move will be based on all of the above, but you are the only person responsible for that move. This makes you the most important person on the construction site at that given moment.

This in fact is the reason that safety training is mandatory. The hope is that some of that safety training will influence each and every action you take. Heavy equipment safety - don’t treat it with disdain; your life, and perhaps mine, could depend on it.

A major component of heavy equipment safety for excavator and crane operators is the look up and live philosophy. It can be all too easy to fall into the tunnel vision trap when you are digging trenches or using a crane to move objects at or below eye level. This tunnel vision sees an operator focus on what is in front and down from their position in the cab. Of course, danger often lurks from above.

A story by Tessa Muggeridge (Sept. 24, 2009 08:17 AM - The Arizona Republic) involves a crane operator who was working on a road side. With traffic light, he was using part of the road to move his load. When a truck appeared, he instinctively moved the crane’s boom out of the way - and straight into overhead power lines.

He was probably focused on what he was doing and the traffic - which is fine, that is his job. What he forgot to add into that focus before even climbing into the cab was what was overhead. This has to be a part of an operator’s checklist before starting work. What is around them and what is above them. If they are close to power lines, they need to make a mental note to be ultra-cautious.

The crane operator was lucky - he lived to tell the tale, suffering serious burns on his ears, face, chest and legs. He wasn’t the only victim - a work colleague would have to consider himself very unlucky. He suffered second-degree burns and blisters on his ears. How? He was wearing a communications head set and power flowed through the crane and into him.

It’s an unfortunate accident yet one that could have been avoided. Occupations Safety and Health Administration will now review the accident and you can guarantee that some of the questions they will ask will include whether or not the crane operator was certified and what, if any, heavy equipment safety training the operator had received. Heavy equipment safety is important - when working with equipment, look up and check for power lines - it may just save your life.

Heavy equipment safety is at the forefront of all training these days and with just cause. Over the years there have been hundreds of deaths or serious injuries caused by heavy equipment. In most cases, it is not the operator who is injured, it is those working around the equipment.

Of course, not all accidents can be attributed to the heavy equipment operator. After all, no one is psychic. Yet, with a little common sense, many accidents could have been avoided. No one can teach ‘common sense’, however, you can be trained in basic safety aspects when using heavy equipment. There are common situations that every operator can adhere to.

Safety starts with knowing your equipment and its limitations. It also includes knowing your own limitations. Once you get to know your equipment, you will sense when things are ‘not quite right’. Believe it or not, many accidents are caused, not by operational errors, but by equipment failures. Knowing your equipment can help you assess whether or not it is safe to operate.

This is where common sense can play a big role. A walk-around inspection prior to starting a job is the first task. Common sense should dictate that if something doesn’t quite look right, it should be looked at more thoroughly by an inspector. For example, a mechanic. The same is true if things don’t ‘feel right’ whilst operating the equipment.

Safety is important in the workplace now. There is a lot equipment being used at once. There are often a lot of people either working in the same area, or passing by. When enrolling in a heavy equipment training course, you can now expect to receive intense training in heavy equipment training. Employers expect it, the government insists on it, and your work colleagues rely on it.

Over the years there have been many accidents, some resulting in deaths, simply due to lack of heavy equipment safety procedures. There are many workplaces that started to introduce workplace safety procedures in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, deaths and property damages. Let’s face it, it is not in the interests of a business to have a machine out of action, or to pay compensation for damages, as a result of an accident.

Unfortunately there were a lot employers who simply kept it ‘business as normal’. They looked at the cost of implementing safety procedures, which was a ‘now’ cost and compared them to the possible ‘future’ cost of an accident. They decided it wasn’t worth the money. When it comes to heavy equipment safety, if something goes wrong, it is generally a big incident.

Over the last ten years consecutive governments at both state and federal level have sort to introduce workplace safety legislation that puts in place a minimum set of standards in the workplace. Part of this legislative approach was to include safety training in all courses related to construction and the use of heavy equipment. There are now teams of inspectors that travel the country making unexpected visits to industry and assessing their workplace safety procedures. If a business fails these inspections they can face heavy fines.

Before undertaking any heavy equipment training, check first to see whether or not their training is accredited. Heavy equipment safety is a compulsory component for any heavy equipment training program to become accredited. Check first and ensure your training meets any legislative requirements - if it doesn’t, you will have a certificate that is worthless since no employer will take you on - make your training count - make sure it is accredited.

Have you ever paid any attention to heavy equipment safety campaigns like the ‘Look Up and Live’ campaign? One of the leading causes of death to heavy equipment operators is by accidentally coming into contact with overhead power-lines. Whilst the experience for the operator is not that great, energy consumers in the area won’t be thrilled either when they lose their power.

Whether you operate a farm tractor, an excavator, crane or any other heavy equipment, being aware of power-lines has always got to be at the back of your mind. Those working around you have also got to be aware of those power-lines so they can guide you safely around them. As one of the leading causes of death for heavy equipment operators, it is not an issue that can be taken lightly.

Most heavy equipment safety training programs include a component on overhead power-lines. This is because of the number of deaths and injuries that occur each and every year. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done to protect operators should they come into contact with those power-lines. The simple solution of course is to avoid contact with them.

This is just one of many issues that heavy equipment operators need to consider in their day-to-day working lives. If you are planning on training to become a heavy equipment operator, one attribute that is going to be very important is your ability to pay attention to factors not directly related to what you are doing.

Heavy equipment training will always focus on three areas - the equipment itself, providing skills to operate that equipment, and knowledge of heavy equipment safety.

We live in a world where it seems everything is measured in time. One of the downsides to this is that people will often look for shortcuts so they can save time. When it comes to construction sites, the danger is that these shortcuts can produce serious heavy equipment safety risks. In an effort to reduce workplace accidents and deaths, the Federal Government along with most of the state legislatures all agreed to set in place certain minimum standards.

You will now find that most work related training has some form of safety built into the training program. This ensures that everyone who is entering the workforce has a common line safety training for their industry. Some industries such as construction and operating heavy equipment, their safety training is quite comprehensive.

When you think about it, the use of heavy equipment has the potential to cause damage to a lot of people and property. It is not just fellow workers, it could be those walking (or driving) past a construction site. Property at risk includes the building they are working on, those buildings surrounding that lot and of course other construction machinery.

The operators themselves are not immune to injury despite the latest in cab design, particularly when it comes to rollovers. That equipment can be extremely heavy and can hit the ground with the same impact as two cars colliding at 60mph. That’s quite a punch if your in the operators seat.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we pride ourselves on the level of training provided including heavy equipment safety training designed to meet national standards. Employers know that graduates from ATS are not only competent in using their equipment, they have also got the necessary safety training to meet national and state safety training requirements. Keep the workplace safe by thinking carefully on the safety training you receive - the next life you save could be your own!

Heavy equipment safety has become an important issue in the workplace. Operators who have been in the industry for decades still do a walk around to inspect their equipment before starting a day’s work. The operator who just jumps in without doing a check could be putting the machine, themselves and their work colleagues at risk.

A lot of operators have a check list they go through (generally a mental list) and it goes something like this. Check:

• tires for wear, cracks and correct inflation, or,
• tracks for any damage and for rocks caught in the mechanism, and
• fluid levels such as water, fuel, engine oil, hydraulic oil, transmission oil,
• windows for cracks and cleanliness,
• blades, buckets or scoops for cracks, broken teeth and correct linkages,
• inside cab for damage, cleanliness and the fire extinguisher.

If everything passes the walk around inspection, the operator then climbs into the cab and starts the engine. That is not the finish of the inspection. Once the machine has warmed up there is generally another walk around this time using their ears as well as their eyes. They are checking for:

• air leaks in the system,
• oil or water leaks,
• exhaust problems, and back in the cab,
• gauges for correct pressures.

It may sound time consuming yet to an experienced operator, the whole inspection is over within ten minutes. Failing to perform the inspection could result in the equipment being out of service for a substantially longer period than just ten minutes. That ten minutes is really an investment in protection - we just call it a heavy equipment safety and maintenance check.

A quality heavy equipment training program will take you through the steps needed to perform a daily heavy equipment safety and maintenance check. Some things require checking all the time. There are other components that you may only need to check daily or every couple of days. Get the right training and you will know what to do and when to do it - more importantly, you will know what you are actually doing, and why!