Heavy Equipment Overview

 The OSHA rules for heavy equipment are broken down into two sections: motor vehicles and materials handling equipment. The motor vehicles section covers off-road vehicles, and on-road vehicles such as dump trucks and pick-ups when they are off-road. The materials handling section is further broken down into: earth moving equipment such as scrapers, loaders, and dozers; and materials moving equipment such as forklifts and telescopic handlers. This handout will help you get the big picture of how OSHA approaches the safety rules for heavy equipment.

General safety and health provisions
Using any machinery, tool, material, or equipment not in compliance with OSHA standards is prohibited. They must be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls, or be physically removed from the jobsite.
 

Only employees qualified by training or experience can operate equipment and machinery.

Motor vehicles and mechanized equipment-General requirements
This section covers equipment in general. It discusses:
• Leaving equipment unattended at night.
• Using safety tire racks and cages when inflating tires.
• Suspending, blocking, and cribbing equipment to prevent falling or shifting during maintenance.
• Moving in the vicinity of power lines or energized transmitters.
• Parking brakes, safety glass, and other safety equipment.

Motor vehicles
This section covers motor vehicles that operate at off-highway jobsites, not open to public traffic. This section discusses:
• vehicle safety equipment such as brakes and lights,
• horns and reverse signal alarms,
• windshields and seat belts, and
• inspections.

Earthmoving equipment
These rules apply to earthmoving equipment such as scrapers, loaders, crawlers, wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, and similar equipment. This section covers:
• seat belts,
• roadways and grades,
• brakes,
• fenders,
• rollover protective structures, and
• horns.

Materials handling equipment
These rules apply to lift trucks, stackers, forklifts, handlers, and similar equipment. This section covers:
• rated capacities,
• modifications and additions,
• steering mechanisms,
• overhead guards, and
• personnel platforms attached to forks.
The OSHA regulations and your operators manual, together, are good companions and give you the tools you need to make your equipment operations and your jobsite safer.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Electrical Grounding

 

Why Electrical Grounding Is Important
Electricity can kill if not used properly. Power tools and other electrical equipment can easily cause electrical shocks if they’re not in good condition, if insulation is inadequate or if they come into contact with water or moisture. The most important thing you can do to ensure your safety around electricity is to properly ground all electrical tools and equipment.

Grounding Tools and Equipment
When there’s a current leakage from a tool or piece of equipment, the current will flow through any available conductor until it reaches the ground. If your body is in contact with that tool, you are the nearest conductor, unless the tool is grounded.

To prevent ground-fault hazards, all electrical tools should be connected by a three-pronged, grounded plug. If grounding is not available, always use double-insulated tools, which are covered with a nonconductive surface to protect you from contact with the circuit. Another device, a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), is required at most construction sites. It shuts off electricity if a ground fault occurs.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters
A ground fault circuit interrupter provides extra protection from electrical shock, especially when you work in wet or outside areas.

A GFCI is a fast-acting circuit breaker that senses small imbalances in a circuit caused by current leakage and, in a fraction of a second, shuts off the electricity. A GFCI protects against shock, overheating, fires and destruction of wire insulation. However, it won’t protect you against line-to-line contact hazards, such as direct contact with two live wires.

Install GFCI outlets where power tools are used or wherever electrical equipment is used near water or dampness, such as outdoors. GFCIs can be wired into circuits at a panel box or used to replace ordinary outlets.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com