Excavators are highly versatile, and powerful pieces of plant equipment. Hiring in a digger can transform your operation and a job that might take weeks using manual labour can be reduced to days or even less. However, misused, diggers and JCBs can cause a lot of damage and harm (or worse). Therefore, it’s extremely important to use such plant machinery with due care and caution. Though not exhaustive, this article shall look at key points that digger operators must bear in mind to ensure Excavator Safety.
Ensure excavator safety: inspect and test your equipment before use
Before operating an excavator (or indeed, any piece of plant equipment) it is crucially important to conduct a general inspection and test of the machine. Coolant, oil, and hydraulic fluid should be checked, and booms, buckets, and any lifting arms should also be inspected, as should interior cab lights and the undercarriage. If you discover a defect you should not operate the vehicle until it is repaired, no matter how urgent the job.
Study the manual, make sure your operator is familiar with the excavator’s controls
Anyone driving an excavator should not only be competent to drive excavators in general (i.e., having attained the necessary certification) but they also should be familiarised with each type of excavator they operate. Manuals should be studied, and all operators should be familiar with the cab layout, rating, and other intricacies a particular excavator may have. This is especially important when operating a hired-in digger, as it may have features or an operating performance that your staff may need to be more familiar with.
Beware of hot areas (oil, engine fluid, etc.)
Digger operators should be wary that certain parts of the excavator may be too hot to touch (for instance, the engine or fluid tanks) and that they risk burn injuries if they do not handle them with caution and wear the appropriate PPE.
Never have more than one person in the cab
Put simply if there isn’t a seat for everyone then you’ve too many people. Generally speaking, excavators are only designed to have one person in the cab so any additional personnel are not only a potential distraction but also a safety risk.
Keep the excavator cab tidy and access and egress
Excavator cabs should be kept neat and tidy at all times. This is not only to provide a healthy work environment but a blocked step or doorway can spell disaster should your operator need to exit the digger in a hurry; it could literally be the difference between escape and injury (or worse).
Excavators must be fitted with safety alarms
Excavators must be fitted with a movement alarm and a flashing beacon. When you hire an excavator from Power Plant Hire, we will ensure that it is fitted with all necessary alarms for the job in question.
The driver must have clear vision
To provide the driver with a clear vision, excavators must be fitted with CCTV or convex mirrors (or a combination of both). These must be located 1m high and 1m from the machine.
Never place the bucket directly over someone
When operating a digger, your operators must never position the bucket directly over a person.
Avoid dangerous overhangs
Never create a dangerous overhang on a high workface, nor should the workface under an excavator ever be undercut in a way that affects its stability.
An excavator’s wheels/tracks must be positioned at 90º
When positioning a digger’s tracks or wheels, they must be at 90º to the workface, for stability.
Never, ever let anyone without proper training operate an excavator
This one should go without saying, but, never, ever let unqualified people operate an excavator. In the hands of the wrong person, an excavator can cause a lot of damage and risk injury or death to both the person operating it and bystanders. As mentioned earlier, you should also ensure that your staff are trained on specific models of excavators. In Ireland, anyone operating an excavator must have, at a bare minimum, a Safe Pass and CSCS Excavator Training.
Check the area for hazards before evacating
Before excavation work begins, the area to be excavated must be surveyed for any hazards, particularly hidden ones such as electrical cables, water pipes, or gas mains. Not only can uprooting such a hazard cause damage and delays, it can potentially have disastrous, harmful consequences. You should also check for overhead hazards, such as power lines, etc.
Ensure that you have banks men for the area being excavated
It’s vitally important to ensure you have Banks Men if there are other personnel working in the area in which your excavator is being used. Banksmen are also necessary when operating large excavators or in confined spaces.
Always make sure that the excavator’s bucket is kept in while travelling
When the excavator is in motion, the bucket must be tucked in and well off the ground.
Secure the excavator when finished for the day or going on a break
Operators must secure their excavator when leaving it, whether it’s when finishing at the end of a shift or merely taking a few minutes break. It only takes seconds for an excavator to roll away so no matter how short the period, never leave an unmanned digger unsecured. The seconds spent securing it are nothing compared to the time and money needed to undo the mess of a runaway machine.
Make sure your excavator operators are wearing appropriate PPE
As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure that anyone operating an excavator is provided with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). These include appropriate safety boots, hi-vis vests, helmets, ear muffs, and gloves. Operators may also be required to wear respiratory and/or eye protection depending on the environment being worked in.
Hopefully, this article will have given you a good overview of the safety do’s and don’ts when it comes to operating an excavator. Having been in the excavator hire business for decades, Power Plant Hire is well-versed when it comes to the safety requisites involved. We only hire out modern, up-to-date excavation plant equipment so when you hire from us you can have confidence that the machine will meet the latest in health & safety requirements. In fact, we are one of very few Irish plant hire companies to have attained the SafeHire standard.
For more information on our excavator hire service, contact us on 053 9235003 or email sales@powerplant.ie.
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