National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Workers who
operate or work near hydraulic excavators and backhoe loaders are
at risk of being struck by the machine or its components or by excavator
buckets that detach from the excavator stick. NIOSH recommends that
injuries and deaths be prevented through training, proper installation
and maintenance, work practices, and personal protective equipment.
A National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) review of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
(CFOI) data identified 346 deaths associated with excavators or
backhoe loaders during 1992-2000 [NIOSH 2002]. Review of these data
and of NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) cases
[NIOSH 2000, 2001] suggests two common causes of injury: (1) being
struck by the moving machine, swinging booms, or other machine components;
or (2) being struck by quick-disconnect excavator buckets that unexpectedly
detach from the excavator stick. Other leading causes of fatalities
are rollovers, electrocutions, and slides into trenches after cave-ins.
A 28-year-old
laborer died after he was struck by the bucket of a hydraulic excavator.
The victim, a coworker, and the operator were using an excavator
equipped with a quick-disconnect bucket to load concrete manhole
sections onto a truck. The victim was on the ground to connect the
manhole sections to the excavator while the coworker was on the
truck to disconnect the sections after they had been loaded on the
truck. The operator had positioned the excavator bucket near a manhole
section while the victim attached a three-legged bridle to the manhole
section for lifting. The bucket disconnected from the excavator
stick (Figure 1) and struck the victim. He was pronounced dead at
the scene [NIOSH 2001].
A 32-year-old
construction laborer died after being struck in the head by a backhoe
bucket. The victim was part of a two-man crew clearing earth away
from the foundation footing of a house. The backhoe operator began
digging an approximately 2-ft-wide by 2-ft-deep excavation around
the foundation while the victim used a hand shovel to remove extra
earth after the backhoe had passed through. The amount of footing
protruding was decreasing. The operator lowered the backhoe's bucket
to rest on a pile of earth approximately 8 ft from the victim; he
then dismounted from the backhoe to inspect the trench. When the
operator returned to the machine and stepped over the tire to sit
down, he inadvertently contacted the boom swing control, swinging
the boom toward the victim standing in the trench. The boom struck
the victim, pinning him against the house. He was pronounced dead
at the scene [NIOSH 2000].
Figure
1. Quick-disconnect excavator bucket that detached from the
excavator stick.
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Employers should
take the following steps to protect workers from injury while working
with excavators or backhoe loaders.
Site
Set-Up
- Contact
local utilities and other responsible parties to locate overhead
and underground utility lines before beginning work. Avoid working
near overhead power lines. If you must work near them, develop
a plan to avoid contact and to follow OSHA regulations for minimum
clearance [29 CFR* 1926.550(a)(15)].
- Do not permit
hydraulic excavators or backhoes to be operated on grades steeper
than those specified by the manufacturer.
- Make sure
that workers position machinery at a safe distance from excavations
such as trenches.
Equipment
Operators
- Train equipment
operators in the proper use of the equipment they are assigned
to operate. Be sure to follow manufacturers' specifications and
recommendations.
- Continually
evaluate safety programs to address changing conditions at the
worksite.
- Clearly
identify and label all machine controls and make sure that the
manufacturers' safety features are working.
- Install
and maintain equipment attachments and their operating systems
according to manufacturers' specifications.
- Securely
latch attachments (such as quick-disconnect buckets) before work
begins.
- Follow the
manufacturer's instructions for using positive locks on quick-disconnect
equipment.
- Train operators
to conduct visual and operational checks on all machine systems
and operating controls before working the machine.
- Make frequent
visual inspections of quick-disconnect systems—especially after
changing attachments.
- Use the
ROPS and seat belts supplied by the manufacturer. Do not remove
the ROPS.
- Do not exceed
load capacities when lifting materials.
- Instruct
operators to lower the boom to a safe position with the bucket
on the ground and turn off the machine before stepping off for
any reason.
*Code of Federal Regulation. See CFR in reference
Other
Site Workers
- Train site
workers to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions and to follow
required safe work practices that apply to their work environments.
- Make all
workers on the site aware of the machines' established swing areas
and blind spots before the operator works the machine. Keep workers
on foot outside these areas by marking them with rope, tape, or
other barriers.
- Before each
work shift begins, review and confirm communications signals between
machine operators and workers on foot.
- Instruct
machine operators to keep the bucket as close to the ground as
possible when workers are attaching loads for hoisting.
- Keep workers
outside the hydraulic excavator swing areas and clear of attachments
when using the machines for hoisting materials. Do not allow workers
to stand under suspended loads or suspended machine components
such as the boom, arm, or bucket.
- Do not permit
workers on foot to approach the hydraulic excavator or backhoe
loader until they signal the operator to shut down the machine
and receive acknowledgment from the operator.
- Use spotters
or signal persons around operating equipment when necessary.
- Never permit
workers to ride in or work from excavator or backhoe loader buckets.
- Provide
appropriate personal protective equipment and make sure that workers
use and maintain it.
The principal
contributors to this publication were Virgil J. Casini and Paul
H. Moore, NIOSH Division of Safety Research, Morgantown, WV.
CFR. Code of
Federal regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,
Office of the Federal Register.
NIOSH [2000].
Construction laborer dies after being struck in the head by backhoe
bucket—North Carolina. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. FACE 2000-26.
NIOSH [2001].
Twenty-eight-year-old laborer dies after being struck by excavator
bucket—North Carolina. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. FACE 2001-09.
NIOSH [2002]
Unpublished review of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health.
The information
in this document is based on data, FACE reports, and expert review.
More information about the NIOSH FACE program is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/faceweb.html
To receive
more information about occupational safety and health topics, contact
NIOSH at:
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