S0102020
Page 8
Wheel Excavator Safety
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USE CARE ON LOOSE SUPPORT
Working heavy loa ds over loo se, s oft ground or u neven, br oken ter rain can cau se dang erous s ide loa d
conditions and possible tipover and injury. Travel without a load or balanced load may also be hazardous.
If temperatures are changing, be c autious of dark and wet patches when working or traveling over frozen
ground. Sta y a way fr om di tches, o verhangs and al l oth er weak s upport surfaces. Halt w ork and install
support mats or blocking if work is required in an area of poor tire support.
USE SOLID SUPPORT BLOCKING
Never rely on lift jacks or other inadequate supports when work is being done. Block tires fore and aft to
prevent any movement.
OVERHANGS ARE DANGEROUS
Digging the workface under an overhang – the work area beneath a cliff or under the edge of a ditch – is
dangerous. K now the hei ght a nd r each lim its of the e xcavator an d pl an a head whi le wor king. A void
creating dangerous situations by moving around the work-site while making excavations. Go on to another
digging area b efore steep overhangs a re f ormed. Working a round d eep pi ts o r along high walls or
trenching m ay require support b locks, es pecially af ter hea vy r ainfalls or dur ing s pring th aws. Park th e
excavator away from overhangs before work shutdown.
SLOPING TERRAIN REQUIRES CAUTION
Dig e venly a round the wor k-site wh enever
possible, tr ying to gradually le vel any existing
slope. If it’ s not po ssible to le vel the a rea or
avoid working on a slope, reducing the size and
cycling rate of the workload is recommended.
On sl oping su rfaces, us e c aution whe n
positioning the excavator prior to starting a work
cycle. Stay alert for instability situations in order
to avoid getting i nto th em. For e xample, y ou
should alw ays avoid w orking the b ucket o ver
downhill tires when parked perpendicular to th e
slope. Sl ow a ll do wnhill swing movements an d
avoid full extensions of the bucket in a downhill
direction. Lifting the bucket too high, too close to
the machine, while the excavator is turned uphill
can also be hazardous.
203mm-304mm
(8"-12")
203mm-304mm
(8"-12")
HAOJ731L
Figure 2