5 Heavy Equipment Safety Tips for Your Construction Site

Accidents happen on construction sites, but minimizing these accidents is the top priority of site superintendents and project managers on every job. The best way to limit accidents is to take the proper precautions when working with heavy equipment.

Every construction site has heavy equipment operating at any given time. To protect the workers using the equipment and everyone else on the job, there are some simple heavy equipment safety tips to implement.

1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings

When you’re around heavy machinery, it’s not the time to let your mind and thoughts drift off. Knowing what's around you can help you and the rest of the site workers stay safe. Keep at a safe distance when others are operating machinery to prepare for accidents.

Not only should you be conscious of the ground, but be mindful of power lines, sewer lines, gas lines, and water when digging. Understand how much space your equipment takes up and any hazards you may encounter.

2. Inspect Equipment Regularly

Ideally, you should do a walk-around inspection of all equipment before you use it – every time you use it. Wear and tear or damage can impact the functionality and safety of the equipment. By spotting issues in advance, you can ensure you’re not taking any unnecessary risks and using unsafe machinery.

3. Only Use Equipment as It’s Meant to Be Used

All equipment is designed with a function in mind: bending the guidelines can be dangerous.  Not only will you do damage to the machinery, but you can also hurt yourself and others. Choose the best piece of machinery for the job and ensure it's in working order before tackling the task.

Load amounts and capacity of the equipment should be honoured to the letter to keep safe and avoid unnecessary delays on the project.

4. Use Proper Personal Protection Equipment

PPE is essential when operating any heavy equipment. From hardhats, protective glasses, gloves, and heavy-duty footwear, the proper PPE can help protect you in the event of an accident.

5. Ensure Workers are Properly Trained on the Equipment

Nothing can keep you safer than proper training on equipment. Everyone operating a piece of machinery should know the equipment inside and out – from operating procedures to limitations of the equipment, every operator needs to have practical knowledge before using the machinery on an active job site.

You shouldn’t assume that just because you’ve trained on a machine, you know it perfectly. With ever-changing technology and upgrades, refresher courses are a great idea to encourage proper use of the equipment.

Bottom Line

At Falcon Equipment Rentals, we have the most modern equipment at excellent rental rates to help you complete your project swiftly and safely. All our equipment is maintained to the highest standard and is closely monitored for wear and tear, so you get the highest quality machinery.

If you’re looking for equipment rentals for your next project, contact us with any questions.