We decided to follow up yesterday’s article with a few more tractor safety pointers. Yesterday, we focused on ROPS as a means of protecting rollovers and we looked at the importance of surveying the work place before operating a tractor. Today we are going to look at ways that a tractor operator can keep themselves safe from the mechanical workings of their vehicle.

Utah State University’s excellent “The Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety” includes some very useful suggestions in regard to preventing mechanically related accidents. First and foremost:

Dress Properly—Well fitted, belted clothing is a must. Flared pants, shirt tails, scarves and other loose clothing are too easily (and too often) caught in moving parts or controls. Invest in sturdy safety work shoes or boots with non-skid soles and steel toe caps. Protect yourself from the sun in summer and the cold in winter. Heavy work gloves are a plus, as are safety goggles or sun glasses with tempered lenses.

This is something that we have looked at on this blog numerous times in the past. It is great advice not just for tractor drivers but for all operators of heavy equipment. Loose fitting clothing can accidentally engage controls, cause you to slip or in the worst case scenario, become caught in the moving parts of your tractor.

Power Take-Off—An operating power takeoff (FITO) can be the most dangerous part of your tractor, which is why it comes equipped with protective shields. USE THEM AT ALL TIMES. An unguarded shaft, running at 1000 rpm’s, can wrap your clothes around it at the rate of 8 feet per second, and it can’t be stopped. It is many, many times more powerful than you are. It pays to treat it with the greatest respect.

The power take-off has featured in fatal accidents in the past and is sure to feature in more in the future. You need not fear the power take-off as long as it is properly protected. A tractor with an exposed power take-off is an accident waiting to happen.

By following proper tractor safety procedures, you can play a part in reducing the unacceptable level of tractor related fatalities and injuries that occur each year throughout the United States. If you are interested in tractor training or in learning how to operate any other type of heavy equipment, please contact us at any time.

Did you know that the humble tractor is involved in over 800 fatal accidents on United States farms each year? The number of tractor related injuries is even more staggering, 9,000. For a relatively simple piece of heavy equipment to be involved in so many injuries and fatalities is unacceptable. Here at Associated Training Services we take the view that most accidents are avoidable and we firmly believe that if people follow tractor safety guidelines, the number of fatalities and injuries will decrease.

A Utah State University publication titled, “The Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety” is definitely worth reading if you own or operate a tractor. Some gems of wisdom that the document offers include:

ROPS—Most tractor accidents are overturns (mostly sideways). They are usually caused by high speed or inattention. The development and use of Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) during recent years has saved many lives. They normally will limit the overturn to 90 degrees while at the same time provide a frame of safety for the operator. Seat belts are an integral part of ROPS and should always be used.

While clearance can be an issue in some orchard situations, ROPS is a tractor safety addition that is recommended whenever practical.

Check the Work Area—Know in advance where hidden ditches, large rocks or stumps are located. Be wary of tall grass—it can cover hazards. Be sure the area is clear of livestock and children.

We could not have said it better ourselves. Realistically, how long does it take to perform a quick bit of reconnaissance of the work area? Look for any potential hazards and remember, just because an area was safe a week ago does not mean that it will be safe for your tractor tomorrow. Always take the time to stop and check before you start work.

Here at Associated Training Services we take tractor and heavy equipment safety very seriously; if you have any questions about these or any other topics, please feel free to contact us.

We have discussed heavy equipment safety quite frequently on this blog. Each article relating to heavy equipment safety was focused on guidelines for different types of equipment and general workplace safety. Today’s heavy equipment safety question is a little different. The question for today is, “What can be done to leave heavy equipment safely unattended?”

The biggest heavy equipment safety danger when it is left unattended is posed by collisions involving passing traffic and stationary heavy equipment. Depending on the speed that the driver is traveling at the consequences could be fatal. For the company that owns the heavy equipment involved and perhaps also the driver, there would likely be some legal repercussions if proper heavy equipment safety guidelines were not followed. The heavy equipment should be identified with barriers and reflectors. Lights should also be used to identify the location of the heavy equipment should it be appropriate. These safety precautions apply when leaving heavy equipment unattended for any length of time; even if work is in progress at a nearby location

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions relating to heavy equipment safety, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.

Source: Workers Compensation Fund (PDF)

We tend to normally think of excavators digging in preparation for large building projects, but they are also extremely functional in demolitions. Excavators are perhaps the biggest piece of general purpose heavy equipment, assuming of course that you exclude cranes. It is the size and mobility of excavators that makes them so incredibly useful for demolitions based tasks.

Many people have a brute force image of demolitions. This is only partly correct. While the process of demolition does involve a certain amount of smashing, bashing and at times exploding, it is a precise process. If a building is brought down in a manner that is anything less than completely controlled, accidents happen. Excavators are the perfect piece of machinery for this as they can provide a large amount of power very precisely to get the job done.

Excavators are used in almost all aspects of demolitions for buildings that are three stories and under. For larger buildings, the process becomes a little bit more delicate. Excavators are still put to use, but in more of a secondary role.

If you are interested in learning more about excavators and their role in construction and demolition, please contact us at Associated Training Services. Excavators are just one of many pieces of heavy equipment that we train people to use.

These days there really is not as much need to pull out the graders for small to mid-sized jobs, these are often the domain of bulldozers with laser-guided blades. That does not mean that graders are out of a job, far from it, it just means that they are relegated to predominantly larger tasks. There are a few reasons that we can see for this transition.

New technology allows bulldozers to perform tasks that they were not previously able to do. In particular, the aforementioned laser-guided grading systems that are now available for an affordable price really makes light work of complicated grading requirements. Light bulldozers are able to perform some remarkable feats of grading in small-scale situations. It is perhaps this that has seen some smaller companies make use of them for slightly larger jobs as well. A bulldozer, whether it is laser-guided or not is not going to do the job of a purpose built grader, but it will allow spaces that were previously too small to be graded to receive the benefit of grading.

Tighter spaces have meant that we are not always able to fit a grader into a property, nor able to give it the room it needs to maneuver. This has been the situation for some time. Graders are well suited to wide open areas, rather than the small blocks of suburbia. That is why you will find graders in large construction sites and working roads, but usually not leveling a suburban block.

So what are graders used for?

Graders are used for big jobs that require the precision that they are built for. Graders are used for creating roads and runways, and sometimes for grading large foundations. You will also find graders put to heavy use in winter, when they are put to use clearing snow from roads. If you live in an area with a lot of snow, it is scarce to see a grader going unused, no matter what time of the year you find yourself in.

If you are interested in learning more about driving bulldozers or graders, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.

Training and gaining certification is one thing, but it does not necessarily get you a job; this is why we offer job placement to our graduates. It is tough for a graduate of any institution be it Associated Training Services or anywhere else; tough because while you have learned the skills, you lack experience. The trouble is to get experience you need a job and to get a job you often need experience. To cut a long story short, it often helps to have someone give you a chance. That is what our job placement program is all about.

Being in the construction industry for as long as we have, we have made a great deal of connections with different construction companies around the country. There are a lot of them. We have provided graduates for a lot of big names and they recognize the fact that our students leave Associated Training Services ready to work. That is to say they are aware of the that our students have the skills that they need to would need to succeed in a real working environment. For this reason, many such companies offer job placement for our students. We can help you through the process and find you a position that you are comfortable with.

Job placement is not just a useful part of the training process, it is a crucial part of the training process. Job placement gets you out of the training center and into the real world. Most importantly, job placement gives you a chance to put your skills to use immediately. If you have any questions regarding our job placement program, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.

All kinds of people go into truck driving and I do mean all. Over the years you get to meet all kinds of people in heavy equipment and truck driving and the thing that stands out is that no two people are alike. Sure plenty of people come straight into truck driving after they finish school; others have fully-fledged careers that they give up for a life on the open road. What is it about truck driving that makes it appeal to so many people?

For many people the appeal is the freedom of the job. You do not need to be an owner operator to enjoy the freedom of truck driving. Even if you are driving someone else’s rig, you can enjoy the benefit. To some people, truck driving seems a lonely profession. It is anything but; there is camaraderie among truck drivers that you can see anywhere that truck drivers stop. You will also find truck drivers communicating via radio. If you enjoy your peace and quiet, you can have that too.

The thing that can either turn people on to or turn people off of truck driving is the hours on the road. Some truck driving routes will see people away from home for days on end. It is not for everyone, but it is that aspect of the job that some people really enjoy. Truck driving also pays exceptionally well, which helps too.

If you are interested in learning more about truck driving or would like to acquire a license, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

If you are racking your brain thinking of ideas to make ends meet, chances are that you have not explored all of your options; carpentry certification is one of them. The great thing about carpentry certification is that you can get it at any stage of your career. It doesn’t matter if you just jumped into a new job, or whether you have been doing the unskilled labor thing for a while, carpentry is a way that you can get the training you need at a minimum cost to start earning some better money.

People tell you that there is more to life than money and they are right, but having the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have enough to make it through any emergencies that pop up along the way is a pretty good thing. Your carpentry certification gives you that, you will feel more confident about your job security and you will have more money in your pocket at the end of each month, and that is a good thing.

Here at Associated Training Services we train people in specialized carpentry skills as well as in the operation of different kinds of heavy equipment. We have a range of courses to suit the range of people that choose to study with us. Our courses come in both full and part time schedules, so it is possible to undergo your carpentry certification training without giving up your day job. If you are considering your carpentry certification and would like to learn more about what is involved, please feel free to contact us.

When it comes to grader safety, most of the guidelines fall clearly into the category of commonsense. All the same, accidents do happen because people forget the guidelines or do not feel that they are in danger. It is just as easy to become complacent regarding grader safety as it is any other type of heavy equipment safety.

• Wear relatively tight fitting clothing with a belt. Loose clothes can catch on controls.
• Keep all of your contact points free of water, grease, mud and anything else that might cause you to slip. Contact points include the controls, losing your grip on the steering wheel can be just as dangerous as overbalancing as you exit the vehicle.
• Only operate your grader from the driver’s position.
• Keep your grader in gear when you are going downhill.
• Avoid excessive speed when you are going downhill.
• Take your turns slowly and carefully. Reduce your speed before the turn, rather than during your turn.

These are by no means all of the grader safety guidelines, but they are some of the ones that people tend to forget about when they become complacent. If you have any other grader safety recommendations, please do not hesitate to leave a comment to this article. If you are interested in grader training, grader safety or any other aspect of heavy equipment training, please contact us at Associated Training Services

A lot of people are justifiably worried about how the state of the economy will affect heavy equipment careers. The sub-prime mortgage fiasco has hit the banks quite hard and it logically follows that less people will be building new houses. Does that not then mean that there will be less opportunities for those in heavy equipment careers? It is an interesting question that deserves examination.

Heavy Equipment Careers Involve More than Just Housing

While the housing industry might be feeling a bit of a pinch, it is important to remember that heavy equipment careers can be about so much more than just housing. Heavy equipment operators work in other types of construction than just housing construction; they also work in industries such diverse industries as mining, agriculture and forestry. For many in the construction business, commercial work and government contracts are making up for the downturn in residential housing.

It never makes sense to delay your training based on the economy. The economy has been down before and it will pick up again. The jobs that are in immediate danger are unskilled labor positions. Certification gives you that safety net that you need and makes it much easier to find work if your company finds itself in financial difficulty.

If you would like to learn more about heavy equipment careers; or have a question or comment, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.