Have heavy equipment on a job site? Make it a safe to operate…
Running heavy machinery on a construction site can lead to significant hazards. There are important techniques to bear in mind to keep a job site safe:
- Make sure that repairs to equipment are not started until the equipment is fully powered down.
- If refueling, you must be sure that engines are turned off.
- All vehicles should be checked at the beginning of each shift to verify its operability.
- If mobile heavy equipment is used on a public road, proper traffic management must be used.
- If traffic control methods such as barriers are unavailable, it is critical to leverage flaggers. Additionally, they must wear appropriate safety gear to manage traffic.
Construction vehicles on a job site should be equipped with:
- Fully operable brakes. (This includes having a working parking brake.)
- Working windshield wipers.
- Rollover protection.
- Appropriate seating.
- Lighting for operating at night.
- Backup alarms for vehicles where vision is limited when backing up.
- Exposed points on front-end loaders must be protected.
- Vehicles that are loaded by loaders, shovels, cranes, or similar equipment should have a cab that offers appropriate protection for operators.
- Controlling dust is paramount and operators in dusty environments need breathing protection.
- Loads on vehicles must be balanced and secured.
