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

Graders are not for everyone, they are one of the more difficult pieces of heavy equipment to operate. Most people do not start out driving graders; it is something that they work their way up to. Driving graders requires a great deal of control, they are a big piece of heavy equipment and although some of the lighter grading tasks are now picked up by bulldozers with special attachments, when it comes to fine grading there really is no better way to do the job than with graders.

Graders are an impressive looking piece of heavy equipment and for some people it seems a little strange that such a large piece of equipment is used to achieve such fine results. The size gives it the balance and the reach that is required to handle the finest grading jobs. Graders don’t really have a place in small construction jobs; they are used in big jobs, for making roads, leveling airstrips and that kind of thing. You might think that there is not that much demand for these kinds of services, but drivers of graders are always in demand.

Graders have another use which is entirely removed from grading; they are also used to clear snow. This is a real plus for drivers of graders as it means that they have year round employment, which is a real plus if you are living somewhere that gets a lot of snow.

If you are interested in driving graders and would like to learn more, please contact us at Associated Training Services.

Laser grade control is something that is great news for grading, but not necessarily good news for graders. Laser grade control can be applied to graders as easily as it can be applied to other types of heavy equipment. It is technology that makes use of lasers to provide two-dimensional grade control. It effectively means that you do not need graders to do all of your grading. While other types of heavy equipment have been able to pass as graders in the past, they lacked the level of control that dedicated graders achieve. Now it is impossible to achieve some impressive results in tight spaces that large graders simply cannot fit into. According to Equipment Today:

Laser-based systems are extremely simple and easy to use,” says Rich Calvird, program manager for machine control. “All the operator has to do is put the system in ‘automatic’ mode. Laser beacon references are easy to set up and are common on today’s construction and landscaping sites, so users are ready to go in minutes.”

Laser grade control brings grading into back and front gardens around the United States. It makes grading with smaller heavy equipment a very real possibility. The technology is quite cheap as well. A two-dimensional laser grading system typically sells in the $10,000 for a fully automatic system. What does all this technology mean for dedicated graders?

We are not going to be able to fully do away with graders. They remain the most efficient option for grading large spaces. What this does mean is that for small construction applications and landscaping, there are now other options. 3D laser grade control systems will make those other options increasingly more powerful, but at a much higher price.

If you are interested in learning more about laser grade control or graders, please contact us at Associated Training Services.

Graders are a potentially dangerous piece of heavy equipment. If you operate a grader then you bear a certain level of responsibility for the safety of your fellow workmates. While heavy equipment safety is part of grader training, it never hurts to brush up on safety skills. This is a short list of safety tips. Some of them are quite obvious, however, these are areas that are of concern at many workplaces around the country.

Safe operation of graders will help to minimize the accidents in your workplace. If you have any questions regarding heavy equipment safety, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.