Hazard Identification: Common Equipment Risks

Top 5 Hazards (Earthwork)

1. Struck-by: Worker hit by blade, bucket, or load. Cause: operator not aware, spotter error, no barriers.
2. Tip-over: Equipment tips on slope. Cause: steep grade, overload, speed.
3. Entanglement: Hair/clothing caught in rotating parts. Cause: loose clothing, no guards.
4. Crush: Pinch points (boom, bucket). Cause: no awareness, reaching under equipment.
5. Utility strike: Hit buried line (electrical, gas, water). Cause: no locates, digging blind.

Control Hierarchy

Best: Eliminate (redesign to remove hazard)

Good: Substitute (use safer method/equipment)

OK: Engineering (guards, barriers, warning systems)

Last resort: Administrative (signs, training, procedures)

Near-Miss Reporting

A near-miss is an incident that COULD have caused injury (but didn't). Report all near-misses. They reveal system failures before someone gets hurt.