Earthmoving and digging projects can very dangerous if the proper precautions and measures aren’t taken by your excavator operator and other people on the jobsite. To help you avoid potentially hazardous situations in your work area, we’re sharing some key tips and best practices to improve the safety and productivity of your operation.
Inspect your equipment before beginning work
Prior to starting their shift, your excavator operator needs to check the machine for any indications of damage or abnormal operation. They should be on the lookout for things like intermittent electrical failures, inappropriate noises, structural cracks or other signs of impending breakage, and any damage to the machine. Catching issues as early as possible will prevent bigger, more dangerous, and more expensive problems down the road, helping avoid downtime and improving excavator safety.
Remember your fuel
It may sound simple, but one of the first things your excavator operator should do each day is make sure their machine has fuel in the tank. If you run out of gas while working, the machine may shut down unexpectedly, leading to unstable loads and dangerous conditions for everyone around the excavator. All it takes is a quick look at the fuel gauge to know whether or not you need to top off the tanks before beginning work for the day.
Make track adjustments on-site
Key to excavation safety is having properly tensioned tracks. If they are too loose, then they can detrack. If they are too tight, you can experience power loss, excessive wear, and even track breakage. Both situations lead to unstable and dangerous working conditions. It’s critical that your excavator operator makes tension adjustments in the field, rather than in the shop. The reason is that tension can increase if the sprocket and chain are packed with mud or other materials, so a track that was correctly tensioned in your shop may become too tight when packed with mud in actual job conditions.
Check the ground prior to working
Hidden or unexpected obstacles like rocks, stumps, and slopes can cause your excavator to slide, catch an edge, and even tip over. Before starting each shift, your excavator operator has to assess the terrain and search for any large debris, loose soil, holes, ditches, inclines, or other obstructions that may hinder excavation safety.
Use the right attachments
A key way to improve excavator safety is to choose attachments that are approved by your machine’s manufacturer. Look at your owner’s manual to find out your equipment’s hydraulic flow, weight capacities, and any other limitations. It’s important to not push your excavator beyond the recommendations in the manual or use an attachment that it’s not compatible with.
Never undercut
An undercut is when you dig out the ground underneath the excavator itself. In order to maintain excavation safety and prevent any cave ins or other accidents, your operator has to always be aware of where the lip of the hole is and be very cautious to not to remove dirt from under the tracks.
Don’t overload the bucket
The fastest way to compromise excavation safety on your jobsite is to work beyond your machine’s maximum capacities. Overloading a bucket will lead to instability and can potentially cause a tip over, which may result in serious injury to the operator and surrounding crew. You should avoid overloading your bucket at all times.
Monitor your track position
Whenever operating on a hill or any incline or decline, make sure your machine’s tracks are pointing up and down the slope. You never want them to be parallel to the slope, as this distributes the weight of the excavator unevenly and can result in a roll over. Your excavator operator needs to maintain a stable center of gravity at all times.
Position your truck properly
Our last tip to increase excavator safety on the jobsite is to correctly load your trucks. We suggest positioning the truck on the left side of the excavator, so the truck and excavator are facing cab-to-cab. The truck has to be stopped with the truck bed headboard in line with the rear of the excavator cab. This position provides the excavator operator excellent visibility, since the boom is out of the way. It also gives about a 25° swing into the truck, which is the most effective position for loading.
If you have any questions about excavator safety, excavation safety, or any other tips for your operator, contact our team today.