Excavator Safety Tips
Tips for Your Excavator Operator
Digging and earthmoving projects can create dangerous situations for everyone on the jobsite if precautions aren’t taken. To help you avoid hazardous situations in your work area, we’ve put together some tips and best practices for your crew to follow for enhancing excavator safety.
Inspect the machine and the site
Examine your machine for any signs of damage
It's important for your excavator operator to be alert for potential equipment malfunctions on the jobsite. Things to watch out for include intermittent electrical failures, inappropriate noises, cracks or other signs of impending breakage, and any damage to a machine. Noticing and catching issues early will prevent larger problems down the road and help improve excavator safety.
Check your fuel
One of the first things your excavator operator should do is to make sure their machine has enough fuel in the tank before starting to work. It might sound simple, but running out of gas may shut down the machine unexpectedly, creating potentially unstable loads and dangerous working conditions for everyone in the vicinity. To maintain excavator safety, look at your fuel gauge and top off the tanks, if necessary, before beginning to work.
Adjust your tracks on-site
Loose tracks can detrack, while over tightening can cause power loss, excessive wear, and could even tear the tracks. Both under and over tightening will lead to potentially unstable and hazardous working conditions. It’s important for your excavator operator to make tension adjustments on the jobsite, not in the shop. Tension may increase if the sprocket and chain are packed with mud or other materials, so a track that is properly tensioned in the shop may become too tight when packed with mud.
Inspect the ground
Rocks, stumps, slopes, and other hidden or unexpected obstacles can cause an excavator to slide, catch an edge, and even tip over. Before starting their shift, the excavator operator should assess the terrain and look for any large debris, loose soil, holes, ditches, inclines, or other obstructions.
Choose the right attachments
One of the most important tips for improving excavator safety is to use only attachments that are approved by the manufacturer of the machine they will be used with. Check your owner’s manual to understand your equipment’s hydraulic flow, weight capacities, and any other limitations. Do not push your excavator beyond the recommendations in the manual.
Equipment operation tips for excavation safety
Once your excavator operator has inspected the jobsite and examined your machine, they’re ready to start digging. Follow these best practices while working:
Don’t undercut
An undercut is when an operator digs the ground beneath the machine itself. To maintain excavation safety and avoid cave ins or other accidents, your operator should always be aware of where the lip of the hole is and be careful not to dig under the tracks.
Never overload your bucket
The quickest way to compromise excavation safety on the job is to work beyond a machine’s maximum capacities. Overloading a bucket can create instability and potentially cause a tip over, and it should be avoided at all times.
Watch your track position
If you’re working on a hill, or any incline or decline, ensure your tracks are pointing up and down the slope. They should never be parallel to the slope, as this distributes the weight of the machine unevenly and can cause a roll over. Your excavator operator has to maintain a stable center of gravity at all times.
Position the truck correctly
Our last tip to improve excavation safety is to load your trucks properly. We recommend positioning the truck on the left side of the excavator so the truck and excavator are facing cab-to-cab. The truck should be stopped with the truck bed headboard in line with the rear of the excavator cab. This position gives the excavator operator clear visibility, since the boom is out of the way. It also gives about a 25° swing into the truck, which is the most efficient position for loading.
If you have any questions about excavator safety, excavation safety, or any other tips for your operator, contact our team today.
