This has been a weird winter so far. Many parts of the country are dealing with more snow than they are prepared for, and the fact is that everyone relies on heavy equipment operators to get things moving again. Hazardous conditions challenge operator skills because you have to add an extra level of attention to a job you are already familiar with.

Check your machinery frequently. Drastic changes in temperature, like hot liquid gushing through freezing cold pipes and lines, cause stress from sudden expansion. It’s not unusual for breakdowns to occur. Maintenance is vital this time of year. If your equipment is out all the time, this is especially important.

Pay attention to your mirrors and windows — you need to see your surroundings in order to react fast. Slippery conditions mean longer stop times. If you are lucky enough to be in a climate-controlled cab, it’s easy to forget the way the weather has affected your job. A lot of operators get hurt after they stop the engine and start to get out…that first step can be icy, and if you aren’t holding on, your feet can go out from underneath you quick.

The biggest difference between a heavy equipment operator and a professional, expert heavy equipment operator is their attitude about training. The best in the business respect their training, remember their training, and apply what they know to their job every day. Good training has included safety procedures, including those for hazardous winter conditions.

Winter can challenge operator skills, but being well-trained prepares you for it. ATS Heavy Equipment Operation Programs will get you there.

Excavators are not always excavators. Sometimes, rather than digging holes everywhere like my pet lab, they are used to demolish everything in sight – again, just like my pet lab. All jokes aside, heavy equipment has always had a role to play in demolition work. When you consider how big some buildings are, you can see why. To do it by hand would take years.

These days, a few well placed explosive charges will have a building collapse inside itself. The heavy equipment then rolls in to complete the job. In the past, large cranes where brought it. Their job was to swing huge metal balls at the remaining walls and knock them down. It was slow and dangerous work. These days, excavators are used to pull down the wall.

The long reach excavator an excavator with an especially long boom arm, that is used to demolish buildings. It is designed to reach the upper stories of buildings that are being demolished and pull down the structure in a safe and controlled way.

To operate a long reach excavator requires the same basic skills as a standard excavator operator. These skills can be acquired through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools. Check out our website for a location near you.