Basic Backhoe Safety

Last week in my blog, I spoke about Excavation and Trenching, so this week I thought I would follow up on last week’s blog by going over some Basic Backhoe Safety precautions, being that backhoe’s are one of the most common pieces of equipment used for excavation.

Backhoe’s come in a wide array of styles and sizes, the main type I will be going over is the standard wheeled tractor type, with a front-end loader (bucket) and a hoe attachment with outriggers. This type of backhoe is relatively small, powerful, and quick; a backhoe’s multipurpose flexibility makes it one of the best choices for our industry, but like any piece of heavy equipment, it is very important to follow basic safety procedures when operating, or working around a backhoe. The following are just a few of the main Basic Backhoe Safety tips.

• The operator should be trained and be familiar with the backhoe he will be using.
• Although we rent our backhoe’s, and they should be delivered to the job site after a complete inspection, the operator should also inspect the backhoe for proper operation and mechanical problems at the start of each day.
• Never start or operate the backhoe except from the operators seat, and always wear the seat belt.
• Never dig while employee’s are working under or around the backhoe.
• Never use the front loader (bucket) as a man lift.
• When using the hoe attachment, always use the outriggers.
• When traveling with a load, keep the load centered and close to the ground.

Remember, most injuries involving a backhoe do not occur to the operator, but to the ground personnel working in the vicinity of the backhoe, so always be aware of the location of all personnel working near your backhoe. It is our company policy that all personnel working near or around a backhoe, or even a trencher, must wear a hard hat and Hi-Vis safety vest. Backhoes are an excellent labor saving piece of equipment! However, careless operation may result in costing life or limb.

Leonard Kessner
Safety Director

This week I would like to talk a little about Excavation and Trenching. Cave-ins due to Excavation and Trenching result in more than 100 fatalities each year. This is due to improperly protected walls of an excavated area, which can trap workers. Not only can a improperly protected wall cause injury or death, but also an improper barricade or flagged excavation area can put one in harm’s way.

There are a few ways to protect against injury from trench collapse. Protective systems that can be used include sloping, shoring, trench shield, and step trenching. Sloping is accomplished by cutting the banks back at an angle, with the proper angle, the soil would not slide toward the worker. Shoring would be a system of supports that brace the side walls of an excavation. Trench shield is a heavy metal box designed to be placed in the trench where workers would be inside the box and protected from a cave-in. Another system would be Step trenching. Step trenching is when you excavate the trench in a way that the trench would look like a large set of steps, working from the lowest area of the trench and working upward, and outward. Excavations four feet deep or more must also have at all time, sufficient means of emergency exit, this would be, a ladder (or some other means) within 25 feet of lateral travel from where work is being preformed.

Along with the proper wall protection for Excavation and Trenching, another very important safety system that should be installed, would be the use of proper barricading or flagging of the open trench. It is not unusual for a route that you were able to travel one day to be cut off by open trenching the next, or even the same day; this is why using the proper barricade or flagging is so important – this will allow workers and vehicle traffic to avoid the hazard area.

You can find more information on Excavation and Trenching in the OSHA Construction Standards, Subpart P 1926.650-.652

Len Kessner
Safety Director

Lucky us – it’s that time of year for all of us to look toward the flu season – and this year, the CDC is telling us that we can expect to see a flu pandemic. A new pandemic virus can spread easily from one person to another, mostly by sneezing and coughing. When someone who is sick with a flu virus, and they sneeze or cough near you, you can then breath in droplets in the air that have the flu virus. Those virus droplets can also land on surfaces that you may touch with your hands.

To help in the keeping yourself, your family, and co-workers safe from any flu virus – keep the following in mind: Wash your hands often with soap and water, and if soap and water are not around – use a alcohol based hand gel. Always remember to cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough, and you should sneeze and cough into your sleeve not your hands, this is if a tissue is not available. Limit contact around others that might have the flu virus will slow down the spread of the virus. Being around others makes you more likely to get sick and make others sick. If you do get sick with the flu, stay home, this means STAY HOME, don’t leave your house, have someone else go to the store and run errands for you. Even going to your doctor can spread the flu virus, so if you really don’t need to see your doctor – then don’t. Ask your boss about options for working from home if you can, until you feel better.

A flu pandemic is something none of us really want to deal with, so let’s all do our part to help prevent a flu pandemic, and keep ourselves, family and co-workers healthy and safe!

Thanks,

Leonard Kessner
Safety Director

There is a new tool out to help choose quality LED lighting products, the Lighting Facts Label. Similar to a nutrition label, the Lighting Facts Label provides a summary of performance data for LED lighting products. Lighting manufacturers who take the SSL (Solid State Lighting) Quality Advocates pledge agree to use the label to disclose performance results in key areas – lumens, efficacy, watts, correlated color temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI) – as measured by the new industry standard for testing photometric performance, IES LM-79-2008. There is a list of 160 LED products that qualify to use the Lighting Facts label available at the DOE website.

Jason
Estimator

The week of October 4 – 10 is National Fire Prevention Week, and with this week being Fire Prevention Week, I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss the different types, proper location, and inspection of fire extinguishers.

Fire Extinguishers are classified by the type of fire that they will be used on. A Class ‘A’ Fire Extinguisher is used for your ordinary types of combustibles, like wood, textiles, paper and some plastics. Extinguishers that are used for class A fires should be identified with a triangle and the letter “A”. If the label is in color, the triangle should be green in color. A Class ‘B’ Fire Extinguisher is used on flammable liquids and gas fires like oil, gasoline, ect., this type of extinguisher should be identified by a square and the letter “B”. If the label is in color, the square should be red in color. A Class ‘C’ Fire Extinguisher is used on fires that have live electrical equipment, or electrical power involved. A Class ‘D’ Fire Extinguisher would be used combustible metals like sodium, magnesium, etc., this fire extinguisher would be marked with a five-point star and have the letter “D”, and if in color, the stare would be yellow. One more class would be Class ‘K’, this one would be used on fires involving fats, grease, and oils that you would find in kitchens, this class of fire extinguisher would be mark just with the letter “K”, no shape or color.

Next, let’s look at location for the different types of Fire Extinguishers. A Class A should be no more than 75 feet in travel distance, a Class B should be at 50 feet of travel distance, and the Class C is normally based on the hazards that the Class A and B would be used on, typically you would want the Class C to be no more than 50 feet away in my opinion, the Class D would be t a travel distance of no more than 75 feet, and last, the Class K, there is no real requirement on distance. The Class K type FIRE EXTINGUISHER is typically located near the point of possible fire ignition.

Last, I would like to go over briefly inspecting Fire Extinguishers, portable Fire Extinguishers must have a visual inspection monthly, the inspection should cover the following;

1. They are in their assigned location
2. They are not hidden nor blocked
3. They are mounted in accordance with the NFPA Standard #10
4. Pressure gauge show adequate pressure
5. Pin and seals are in place
6. No visual sign of damage or abuse
7. The nozzle is free of blockage

If you would like more information on FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, please look at the OSHA reg 29CFR 1910.157 portable Fire Extinguishers, or the NFPA Standard #10, portable Fire Extinguishers.

Len
Safety Director