Occupational incidents caused by the use of excavators can cause severe injuries, as well as costly delays. Understanding and implementing the proper safety measures is crucial for the safety of your staff and the efficiency of your job site. Through the correct training and safety procedures, a company can establish a safer work environment and reduce the likelihood of incidents caused by operating an excavator.
To ensure excavator safety, operators must conduct thorough pre-operation checks, maintain a clear work environment, and use correct operational techniques. Providing comprehensive training and adhering to safety regulations can prevent accidents and injuries, creating a safer workplace for everyone involved. Emphasizing a culture of safety not only protects workers but also enhances overall operational efficiency.
Now, let’s look at exactly what you need to do to be safe around an operating excavator.
What Preparatory Steps Should Be Taken Before Operating an Excavator?
Ensure all safety devices are functional. This includes emergency shut-off switches, alarms, lights, etc. Review the operators manual for the specific model of excavator you will be using. Different machines may have unique features and requirements. Also, visually inspect the machine for any signs of damage or wear on the bucket, boom, tracks, and rollers. Any cracked, bent, or excessively worn parts should be replaced immediately to prevent a catastrophic failure while working. By taking your time and conducting a thorough pre-operation inspection, you have the ability to identify and address potential problems before they become dangerous situations.
Finally, it’s essential to make sure all your safety devices are working. This includes checking emergency shut-off switches, alarms, lights, etc. Take a few minutes to read the operator’s manual for the specific model of excavator you will be using. Different machines may have unique features and requirements.
Another important thing to do before you start is to thoroughly assess the site. Look for potential hazards such as unstable ground, nearby power lines, or areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. Use flags or cones to mark these hazards so everyone on-site knows to be cautious. Lastly, establish a clear plan for communication among all team members before starting work. All these actions are crucial to keeping everyone safe.
How Can the Work Environment Be Managed for Safety?
Second, all tools and equipment should be properly stored when not in use. This not only keeps the work area organized and free of clutter, but also reduces the risk of tools being misplaced or stolen. It also helps prevent accidents and injuries that can occur when tools are left lying around and can become trip hazards.
Third, all materials and supplies should be stored in a designated area and organized in a way that makes them easy to find and access when needed. This will help keep the work area tidy and prevent materials from being damaged or wasted. Finally, all waste and debris should be properly disposed of in designated bins or dumpsters. This will help keep the work area clean and safe, and will also prevent environmental contamination and pollution.
Keeping the job site clean is an important aspect of managing the work environment. You can define clean and orderly as putting tools and equipment away when not in use. Debris and obstacles need to be removed from the site quickly, so regular inspections can confirm that barriers are in place, unauthorized people are not in the area, and waste and debris are being managed properly.
Lastly, to enhance safety in uncontrolled or unmonitored areas, implement safe zones and lockdowns, and everyone make sure that everyone has a way to keep themselves safe at all times. If you have drivers in vehicles, they need an escape plan and a safe place to go in case someone else isn’t paying attention. The bottom line is that as the leader or project owner, you still need to be making sure everyone works safely together.
If you don’t pay attention and nobody else is in charge of safety, people will die. What single thing do all superintendents or foremen who have never had a fatality do differently from everyone who has had one? They pay attention. They manage safely, and they make sure their people stay safe too.
What Are the Essential Operational Techniques for Safe Excavator Use?
Proper operational techniques are essential for safe use. Always position yourself comfortably in the seat and maintain a grip on the controls. Proper stance is crucial, particularly before commencing something that requires aggressive movements. Adjust the seat and mirrors before starting to make sure you can see. When you lift a load, make a quick assessment of the weight and the center of gravity of the load, then check how the load charts classify the safe lifting capacity of the machine. Never exceed that. If you do, you set yourself up to tip the machine or damage something.
Be mindful of everything around you. Get in the habit of looking before you move. Use spotters whenever necessary before you move the machine, especially if your visibility is restricted. If you are operating in tight quarters, you may want a spotter with you even if you do have visibility. People are always jumping out where you least expect them, especially in tight areas, so an extra set of eyes is a good thing to have. Be smooth when you operate the machine. Quick or jerky moves can cause unintended stress or break something, or even cause you to lose control if you’re not careful.
What Common Safety Hazards Should Operators Be Aware Of?
Recognize the things you do that can get you into trouble and learn to train yourself not to do them. One of the biggest safety hazards involving excavators is tipping them—especially side to side. Knowing how to work the machine on the slope and your limitations with the machine’s stability is key.
The next significant risk you face are struck-by incidents, where people or equipment are struck by the moving machine or falling loads. Don’t get hit. Stay far enough away from the action to keep your hands, body, and feet from getting hurt. Nobody belongs in the swing radius of the machine or the path of your loads. Clearly define your exclusion zones and use barriers if necessary, and have everyone else stay the heck out.
In addition to things you can control, there are things external to your actions that impact safety. Be mindful of the environmental issues that may impact safety. Weather can affect ground conditions and potentially your line of sight. You need to adjust your operation based on current weather and visibility conditions to ensure safety. If it is wet and muddy, there’s a good chance things will be slick. Be careful driving and maintaining balance on those slick surfaces. Make sure you’re well-trained in how to change your technique due to environmental conditions to mitigate those risks.
What Safety Equipment Is Necessary for Excavator Operations?
Safety equipment is essential to helping keep your people and everybody else on the ground safe. They should be getting tired of us talking about it all the time. It needs to be part of the deal. Hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, and high-visibility vests (or better) should be mandatory for everyone on the ground. That includes the operator and any ground personnel. Steel-toed boots are not a bad idea for anybody as well. There is a lot of steel moving around on the ground, and you don’t want to catch one of those on your toes.
Also, machines that have been built since about 1985 will be equipped with a rollover protective structure, known as ROPS, to protect the operator in the event of a rollover. Machines also have a falling-object protective structure, known as FOPS, to protect the operator from anything falling on them. Make sure your ROPS and FOPS are still on the machine, they’re properly installed, and are still functioning correctly every time you start the machine.
If you have a newer excavator, it’s probably been equipped with things like rearview cameras, proximity sensors to tell you when you’re getting close to something you shouldn’t be, and automatic shut-off systems that stop the machine if someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Make sure to check these things every time the machine is in use. There’s not much need for safety systems if they don’t work!
How Should Emergency Responses Be Handled?
Have an emergency response plan and make sure everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong. Know the evacuation route for your area. Know how to report an emergency or if someone is hurt. Always know where the first-aid kits and fire extinguishers are located.
Drill and practice what you would do if a real emergency occurred. Pull the fire alarm and watch everyone empty the building and meet at your predetermined muster point. Then do it again next time, and the time after that. Don’t rely on just doing it once and everyone remembers what to do. Safety is not something you set and forget. Remember, practice makes perfect! When an incident does happen, sit down and review it with everyone that was involved. Ask yourself, what did we do right, what did we do wrong, and what are we going to do to make it right? Then, make sure everyone pitches in and helps you fix it!
Ensure everyone on the job knows what to do and how to report an emergency. What are the emergency contact numbers they need? Do they know how to call for help? Make sure they have a way to communicate when something goes wrong.
Why Is Continuous Safety Training Important?
When it comes to training, you need to do more than just onboard training. You have to keep training. Create a training schedule and stick to it. It might be training on new equipment, maintenance or safety training, changes to your safety policy and procedures, or just a refresher on how we do things around here. If you don’t keep the training going, then what makes you think everyone around you will keep thinking about safety every day? Everything you do should be about safety, especially your training.
Provide some training, or at least access to training for that crew member. You’ll be amazed at how much confidence and pride they’ll have in their job. They’ll see that you do care about their safety and want them to succeed at work. It’s pretty simple: You want them to work safe, send them to an advanced safety class and they will likely become your biggest safety advocate. A key benefit of this approach is that they are not doing it just for themselves or you; they are doing it for the team! When you push training, especially safety training, no kidding, they will love it and they will respect you because of it.
Additionally, track who is taking the training and who isn’t. If people are not taking the training courses, find out why. Do they think it’s a waste of time and they’re too busy working? Or are your training materials poorly organized and presented? Find out why your training methods aren’t working and fix it. The feedback you get from improving your training programs will pay rewards for years to come.
How Can Weather Conditions Affect Excavator Operations?
Certainly, the weather can create plenty of opportunities for us not to work safely or quickly. Rain makes the ground muddy and unstable. You can tip and slide around when it’s wet. Every good operator knows how to change their operations to get work done when it’s wet, even if it is slower than when it is dry.
Cold weather sucks for everything except equipment breakdown. Make sure your machine is properly winterized. Make sure your windshield wipers and any windows are clear. You don’t want any ice build-up. The last thing you need is for your lousy day to get further hosed up by something simple you overlooked. Make sure your cabin heater works. You may need to work long days to get the job done when it is cold, but regular breaks help you and your equipment keep working right.
Of course, when it is warm, you have to be mindful of your heat stress. You will become fatigued sooner. Make sure you take breaks, and have plenty of water available. Do what you can to change the culture, so everyone does take a break when they need to, when it’s hotter than hades. You’d much rather take more breaks than you’d planned and people stay safe than their bodies give out early and you fight their injuries all for the next six months!
What Role Does Communication Play in Excavator Safety?
Be conscious of communication. When you’re working, it’s noisy, and you need to talk or signal with your hands. Ground guys don’t know what you are doing or what is going on inside that cab. They’re looking and trying to pay attention but it’s their life hanging in the balance. You let them know, through hand signals or talking, what you’re going to do and what the next move is. Have standard, clear, and established hand signals to use when people are inside the swing radius or up close to the machine.
Off-road truck drivers, keep an eye on the equipment and have an escape route in mind. Make sure you make eye contact with the operator before you get out of the truck and walk up to their machine. Always make sure, if you are inside that machine’s swing radius, that operator knows you’re there before you step inside. Always make sure you can see the person inside the vehicle to make sure you have their attention before you step into their swing radius.
Hold great, daily safety meetings, if nothing else, so everybody can have a chance to bring up any unresolved problems and clarify procedures. Make sure to tell your operators to report any problem immediately and not silently let it go past the point of no return!
If you’re working in a larger area with a lot of people, using two-way radios can be helpful. Using radios will ensure that something important doesn’t happen and either you or a crew member have to run over to tell the operator to stop the machine. In most cases, if something “important” is happening now, you’ve already hit a point of no return. Using radios can help minimize and remove the chance of misunderstanding or misspeaking. Bottom line, you are trying to coordinate everyone’s actions and ensure that they can all do their work safely around a machine in motion.
Summary
So, there’s a whole lot involved in excavator safety. Make sure you inspect your equipment every day and stay up-to-date on maintenance. Work in an organized environment and give the equipment every chance you can to do its job safely. Remember, a great workplace is a safe workplace.
Make sure you do all of the right things to work safely in any particular situation, and then make sure you do all of the right things to take care of your co-workers or customers too. That culture of safety isn’t just for you—it’s for everyone on the job. Every time you do something for the safety of the job site, you take a step toward being more successful today and in the long run. For more information or professional advice, feel free to contact us.
