Statistics show a scary amount of workplace accidents and injuries pertaining to heavy truck transport carriers. The number will keep rising if carrier companies do not follow all given safety measures.
If you are a heavy equipment operator and want to ensure a safe environment for yourself and your colleagues, we got you. Here is a list of 4 safety tips specifically for heavy equipment carriers.
1. Be Careful of Your Surroundings
When operating as a carrier of heavy machinery it is crucial to be aware of your surroundings. Before beginning, make sure you know who is around you and what needs to get out of the way. Moreover, be mindful of blind spots. To avoid blind spots, you might have to sometimes physically get out of your machine and scan your surroundings.
While operating heavy equipment, be careful about dangers that can be present at the site for yourself and others around you. For example, cut off the power supply to electric lines as a precautionary measure.
Heavy Truck Transport Safety Tips
2. Maintain Constant Lines of Open Communication
Communication is key for heavy equipment workers and carriers. Firstly, make sure everyone present at the site is informed about what is happening there – this is crucial to make sure no one is at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Secondly, set up a proper system of communication. Heavy equipment sites are loud, hence it’s important to learn the right-hand gestures and signals. In such cases, two-way radio systems are most common for crew and their supervisors to communicate.
3. Wear Proper Safety Gear
When on-site or working with heavy truck transport equipment, make sure you are in your proper gear. To avoid unexpected accidents, protect your head, legs, and hands by wearing appropriate hard hats and heavy boots.
When carrying heavy equipment, do not forget the seatbelt. A seat belt is important when driving a car, but it is even more crucial to wear a seat belt when carrying a heavy load. To ensure you do not get thrown off your equipment, wear your seatbelts whenever operating one.
4. Keep the Load Limit in check
When carrying heavy equipment, you must always know about your load limit. To avoid accidents and for your machine to work fine, make sure you are carrying weight under the load limit.
Pushing your equipment past its capability is risky for you and your fellow workers. You do not want the machine to give up midway and for you to be stuck in it. In worse cases, machines carrying weight higher than their limit can also topple off – leading to fatal injuries.
Bottom Line
Working with heavy truck transport equipment is a tough and risky job. Site workers need to put their life before their job. If you are a heavy equipment worker, you must know that no project is worth risking your, or your colleagues’ life.
Follow all safety measures and wear proper safety equipment. To avoid serious worksite accidents and injuries, heavy equipment carriers need to be safe and mindful of their work, at all times.