When you work with heavy equipment and ground-engaging tools in Australia and other areas, one of the things you need to keep in mind is keeping your people safe while using them. Heavy equipment is especially hazardous since a single mistake can result in multiple injuries, even fatalities. To avoid that from happening, here are some useful tips that you can follow.
Hire the Right People
One of the best ways to ensure zero accidents with your heavy equipment is that you have the right people to operate them. When you’re looking for operators, you will want to look at their experience and training. The longer they have been using them, the most likely they know what they are doing. Plus, you should look at their safety record. Operators with a solid safety record should be at the top of the list for recruitment.
Proper Training and Refreshers
Even if you hire the right people, your employees will still need to know how to operate the equipment. They might need to operate it in an emergency. You might also need additional operators in the future. This is why you need to have a thorough training program for interested employees. Besides the new trainees, you also need to have the experienced operators come in for refresher training. This is to ensure that your people know the latest safety rules and relearn the ones they forgot.
Always Require Inspections
Heavy equipment looks durable, but it can surprise you how easy they can break. There are a variety of things that your people need to check on before they fire the heavy equipment up. This includes the major hydraulic parts, the tire pressure, and more. How to do a proper inspection should be a part of your team’s training. The inspections should be done daily so your people can detect any problems immediately.
Have Clear Sight Lines
One of the most common causes of accidents is that the operator does not see something and then accidentally hits something. This is why blind spots are a big problem for heavy equipment operators. Your operators need to have mirrors in their cab to see what is happening behind them. Operators need to remove any obstructions to this mirror. Plus, if they are not sure, your operator should get out of the cab and check or have a spotter guide them.
Ensure Constant Communication
You will need your people to communicate constantly. Your operators need to know what is happening in other parts of the construction site. Plus, supervisors need to know what their heavy equipment is doing. Having two-way radios added to your operation is a great move so that your team will be able to coordinate with each other.
Take Breaks
Mistakes happen when tired people keep working. This is why you should implement regular breaks. This keeps people on their toes and helps avoid accidents.
Construction projects are a major undertaking, and an accident could delay your operations. That also does not take into account the expense of paying for the damages, both to equipment and your people. The advice above should be a big help in ensuring that accidents won’t happen in your construction site. With their help, you will be able to reduce your workplace accidents to zero.
