September Mobile Equipment & Line-of-Fire Safety
Mobile Equipment & Line-of-Fire Safety
If You Can’t See It, Don’t Move Yet
Forklifts. Loaders. Skid steers. Trucks. Trailers. Telehandlers. Tractors. Basically anything with wheels, horsepower, hydraulics, or enough weight to ruin somebody’s afternoon. Mobile equipment makes our jobs easier, but it also creates some serious hazards when people and equipment start sharing the same space. This month we are talking about backing, blind spots, spotters, pedestrians, trailer positioning, pinch points, crush zones, and staying out of the line of fire. The goal is simple: Nobody should ever be surprised by where a piece of equipment is going next.
THE BIG PROBLEM: YOU ARE SMALLER THAN THE EQUIPMENT
Most equipment operators are not intentionally trying to run anybody over. The problem is that they cannot see everything around them. Blind spots can exist:
Directly behind equipment
Along the sides
Near buckets, forks, and attachments
Immediately in front of some larger equipment
Around trailers
Near articulated equipment pivot points
Behind raised loads
Anywhere mirrors, cameras, windows, or the operator’s view are blocked
Just because you can see the operator does not automatically mean the operator can see you.
Never bet your kneecaps on eye contact you are not sure happened.
G.O.A.L. = GET OUT AND LOOK
Backing accidents have one particularly annoying feature. They are usually preventable.
Before backing into a tight, unfamiliar, congested, or questionable area:
G.O.A.L.
GET OUT AND LOOK.
Take a few seconds and physically look at the area. Check for:
People
Vehicles
Equipment
Poles
Buildings
Overhead hazards
Ditches
Soft shoulders
Drop-offs
Fences
Animals
Tools and materials
Objects too short to see from the cab
Anything else that was definitely not there the last time you looked
If you get back into the cab and something changes, GET OUT AND LOOK AGAIN.
Yes, even if you just looked. The five seconds it takes to climb back out is considerably more convenient than explaining why the pickup now has a loader-shaped dent in it.
BACKING SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE HOBBY
Whenever practical, plan the work so equipment can pull through rather than back up. When backing is necessary:
Check the area before moving.
Adjust mirrors and cameras before starting.
Remove unnecessary distractions.
Back slowly.
Keep looking in the direction of travel.
Use a spotter when visibility or conditions require one.
Stop immediately if you lose sight of the spotter.
Stop if a person enters the backing area.
If you are unsure, stop and G.O.A.L. Backing alarms, cameras, and mirrors are tools. They are not force fields. A backup alarm does not give an operator permission to back into whatever happens to be behind the machine.
SPOTTERS: ONE DRIVER, ONE SPOTTER, ONE PLAN
A spotter can be extremely helpful. Three people waving their arms and yelling different things is less helpful. Before movement begins, the operator and spotter should agree on:
Where the equipment is going
Where the spotter will stand
Exactly what each hand signal means
Which signals will be used for forward, backward, left, right, slow, and stop
What STOP means
What to do if visual contact is lost
Do not assume everyone uses the same hand signals. Before the equipment moves, the operator and spotter should review and agree on the signals they will use. If there is any confusion about a signal during the movement, stop the equipment and clarify before continuing.
The Golden Spotter Rule
If the operator cannot see the spotter, the equipment stops.
Not slows down. Not keeps creeping. Stops.
The spotter should stay:
Visible to the operator
Outside the equipment's path
Outside pinch and crush zones
Away from tires and tracks
Away from the area between equipment and another object
A spotter should never position themselves somewhere the equipment could pin them against a building, trailer, vehicle, pile, wall, or other object.
And yes, the spotter needs to pay attention too. This is not the ideal time to answer a text message.
LINE OF FIRE: ASK “WHAT COULD MOVE?”
Being in the line of fire means being positioned where moving equipment, material, stored energy, or shifting objects could strike, crush, pinch, or trap you.
Before approaching equipment, ask:
What could move?
If it moves, where will it go?
Then make sure your body is somewhere else.
Common line-of-fire areas include:
Between a truck and trailer
Between equipment and a wall
Between two vehicles
Beside moving tires or tracks
Under raised buckets, forks, or attachments
Near articulated equipment pivot points
Around hydraulic attachments
Behind backing equipment
Near swinging loads
Between a trailer and loading dock
Near material that could shift, roll, or fall
Never create a human sandwich.
If you are standing between a moving object and something solid, you are probably standing in the wrong place.
PINCH POINTS & CRUSH ZONES
Hands and feet have an amazing ability to find the exact location where two heavy objects are about to meet. Keep them out of there.
Watch for pinch and crush points when:
Connecting trailers
Opening or closing equipment attachments
Handling pallets
Positioning forks
Hooking chains or straps
Moving equipment near walls or buildings
Coupling or uncoupling equipment
Working near hydraulic components
Guiding loads into position
Do not use your hands, feet, or body to “just move it a little.”If the object requires thousands of pounds of equipment to move, your boot is probably not the correct positioning tool.
TRAILER POSITIONING: DON’T STAND IN THE SQUISH ZONE
Trailer positioning creates several opportunities for people to put themselves directly into a crush zone.
Before moving a trailer:
Know exactly where it is going.
Remove people from the area.
Check the path of travel.
Watch the trailer swing.
Check overhead clearance.
Check ground conditions.
Use a spotter when needed.
Make sure the operator and spotter understand the plan.
When backing toward a trailer, dock, building, or piece of equipment: Nobody belongs between the moving vehicle and the object it is approaching.
If something needs adjusted, stop the equipment first.
FORKLIFTS: THE BACK END SWINGS TOO
Forklifts do not steer like your pickup. Many forklifts steer from the rear, which means the counterweight can swing surprisingly far during a turn.
Operators need to watch:
Pedestrians
Racking
Equipment
Doorways
Corners
Loads
Overhead clearance
Trailer edges
Dock edges
Rear-end swing
Pedestrians should give forklifts plenty of room.
Do not assume standing beside the forklift means you are safely out of its travel path. You might be standing exactly where the rear end is about to swing.
LOADERS & SKID STEERS
These machines create some especially nasty crush zones.
Stay clear of:
Loader arms
Buckets
Attachments
Articulation points
Tires and tracks
Raised equipment
Areas between the machine and buildings or other equipment
Never walk underneath raised equipment or attachments unless the equipment has been properly secured according to the manufacturer's procedures for servicing or maintenance.
If the operator cannot clearly see you, do not approach until communication has been established.
PEDESTRIANS HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TOO
Equipment operators have a huge responsibility for safe operation, but pedestrians need to help.
When working around equipment:
Stay in designated walking areas when available.
Make eye contact with the operator before approaching.
Never assume the operator sees you.
Stay away from blind spots.
Do not walk behind backing equipment.
Give moving equipment room.
Avoid headphones or other distractions in equipment areas.
Wear required high-visibility clothing where applicable.
Pay attention to alarms, horns, and equipment movement.
Never sneak up on heavy equipment.
This is one of the rare situations where being aggressively noticeable is an excellent personality trait.
COMMUNICATION BEFORE MOVEMENT
A ten-second conversation can prevent a very bad day.
Before complicated equipment movement, everyone involved should understand:
Where are we going?
Who is directing the movement?
What hand signals are we using?
Where should everyone else stand?
What does STOP mean?
And that last one should be easy:
STOP MEANS STOP.
Anyone who sees an immediate hazard should be able to call a stop.
Once movement stops, figure out the problem and reset the plan. No yelling. No blaming. No “I thought you meant…” Just reset and try again safely.
BEFORE YOU MOVE: TAKE 5
Before moving mobile equipment, quickly ask:1. PEOPLE: Where are the people around me?2. PATH: Is my travel path clear?3. BLIND SPOTS: What can’t I see?4. LINE OF FIRE: Could anyone be struck, pinned, or crushed?5. COMMUNICATION: Does everyone understand what is about to happen?
Five questions. Five seconds. Potentially a whole lot less paperwork.
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE
This month, pay attention to your normal work areas and identify:
One bad blind spot
One common backing area
One place pedestrians and equipment regularly cross paths
One pinch or crush zone
One place where better communication or positioning would make the job safer
Then do something about it.
Maybe that means:
Changing traffic flow
Moving stored materials
Adding mirrors
Improving lighting
Marking pedestrian areas
Establishing a backing procedure
Creating standard hand signals
Designating a spotter
Changing where trailers are staged
Small operational changes can eliminate hazards without creating another 47-page safety procedure nobody wants to read.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Where is the worst blind spot at our location?
What area do we back equipment into most often?
Is there somewhere we could eliminate backing completely?
When should we use a spotter at our location?
Does everyone know the hand signals we currently use?
Have our operators and spotters agreed on exactly what those signals mean?
What should happen when the operator loses sight of the spotter?
Where do pedestrians and mobile equipment regularly cross paths?
What pinch or crush zone do we deal with most often?
Have you ever had a close call involving equipment backing or someone entering a blind spot?
What is one change we could make today that would improve equipment movement at this location?
REMEMBER
G.O.A.L. = GET OUT AND LOOK
If you lose sight of your spotter, STOP.
Agree on hand signals before the equipment moves.
If you are between something that can move and something that cannot, MOVE YOURSELF.
If you are not sure whether the operator sees you, assume they don’t.
Mobile equipment is incredibly useful. It is also considerably stronger than you.
Let’s keep the machines working, the people unsquished, and the incident reports delightfully boring.
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