How to stay safe around dangerous equipment

People who work near dangerous equipment or in hazardous environments know from the get-go that there are risks even before they begin working in their role. However, understanding the risks and dangers, and taking the appropriate precautions on how to minimise them, is crucial. 

Every year heavy equipment operators and workers are injured or killed by heavy mobile equipment used in construction. The ‘Fatal Four’ are hazards that consist of falls, electrical exposure, struck-by and caught-in/between things. The fatal four hazards are the leading causes of death on the job site – of which 75% involve heavy equipment. 

Eltham Workwear explains how you can stay safe around dangerous and heavy equipment while remaining vigilant. 

Communication is key

Communication, in all aspects of life, is the most important way to drive results and meet deadlines. This applies to working with heavy machinery also where communication is just as important. Safety policies for heavy machinery should be communicated effectively and constantly, this, in turn, can save lives and money in the long run.

Be aware of your surroundings 

You do not want to be carefree on the job, you want to be aware at all times and conscious that regulations are being followed. Even simple construction tasks can quickly turn into a hazard, so do not be afraid to ensure rules are being followed. Those who may be inexperienced in their field may also need to be given the right or extra guidance.

Inspect your machinery 

Machinery, especially larger machinery, has many moving parts and needs to be in peak condition to complete the job. To ensure your machines are working to full capacity you should inspect them regularly. This can be crucial to ensuring safety amongst workers to avoid accidents and injuries. 

Invest in possible spotters 

Although workers need to wear high-visibility, there are specialist workers who wear high-visibility jackets called spotters, whose jobs are essentially an extra set of eyes for drivers or machine operators. This is where communication comes into play as blind spots can be a significant operating issue. A spotter is trained in hand signals and provides safety guidance for operators and nearby pedestrians.

Summary

Some incidents happen and cannot be prevented however, hopefully, Eltham Workwear has given you some helpful tips on how to remain vigilant in hazardous environments. If workwear is what you are after, click here to browse our wide collection of safety workwear.

Get in touch

Eltham Workwear & Safety is a distributor and supplier of quality workwear and PPE to the UK market. Our head office is based in Dartford, with another branch in Portslade, Sussex. We offer both B2C and B2B solutions via our website and our dedicated sales staff. We deliver to London, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire, and we use DHL for deliveries to the rest of the UK.

Please get in touch with our friendly team if you need any advice or to speak about how we can help you with safety workwear. For an additional cost, we can even add your logo to all manner of garments and items; from caps and hardhats to fleeces and jackets using various methods of personalisation. Please click here to find out more.