Excavator on Mound – #HazardSpotting
The Hard Hat Training team has been providing safety training for 16 years and we have seen many hazardous situations while out on work sites around the country. We join safety professionals on social media for a #hazardspotting moment.
Excavators. One of the most common types of heavy equipment on construction site around the world. Lets do another Spot the Hazard! #hazardspotting #spotthehazard #safetytraining
What potential hazards and safety issues do you see in this photo? Scroll down to see our own analysis.
Spot the Safety Hazards:
Excavator Hazard Analysis:
At first glance, perhaps, there seems very little wrong with this image. Everything appears to be in order, another day on the construction site, right? Excavators climb soil piles all of the time, there’s nothing wrong with that. Well, yes and no. ‘Yes’ because, you’r right, this type of situation is common and most of the time there is little to worry about; but ‘no’ because in this case the soil on which the excavator was operating was far from stable enough to hold the weight of the machine. At one time the freshly dug soil started to shift and, as a result, the excavator did too. Fortunately, the sliding soil settled before a tip over occurred. It’s hard to get around working excavators atop soil piles, but when you do, just make sure to take the time to ensure its stability. And stay away from the edges and sliding slopes as much as possible.
Speaking of edges, what you cannot see here is the trench that runs parallel to the soil pile. Based on what you see, any guess as to how close the pile is to the edge of the trench? Well, less than two feet I can tell you that much, and that is in violation of safety standards. Add to that the fact that the trench was unprotected and you have the potential recipe for a disaster. The weight of the soil, as well as the weight and movement of the excavator on top of that soil, could have been enough to cause a trench collapse.
They did their due diligence and spent the time setting up barriers to protect the public, but they seemed to have forgotten about protecting themselves and their co-workers. That or they justified that their experience and track record was enough to keep everyone safe. I’ll let you in on a secret: that erroneous line of thinking will always catch up to you. If you don’t obey the rules, some day someone will get hurt. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace that is up to code. So take the time to make it so. Adherence to standards will protect you and your co-workers.