Farm Safety Association
:
The
following script can be used to deliver a 15-minute training
session to employees. You may wish to have a skid steer on
hand to point out hazards and demonstrate safe operating procedures.
The text emphasizes important points related to skid steer
safety. It is suggested that you try to stay strictly on topic.
Obviously, you will need to be prepared to answer questions.
POINTS
TO EMPHASIZE:
- Rollover
protective structures and safety screens should be
in place at all times.
- Never
exceed a skid steer's rated operating capacity.
- Always
carry loads low.
- Keep
the heavy end of a loader pointed uphill when traveling
up and down slopes.
- Try
to avoid driving over rough surfaces.
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Know
your machine
- Balance is the key to the stability and turning capability
of a skid steer. With no load in the bucket, roughly two-thirds
of the weight is on the rear axles. Weight shifts to the
front wheels when the bucket is loaded.
- Overloading can make a skid steer excessively front heavy.
This reduces stability and handling response. Don't exceed
a loader's rated operating capacity.
- Never attempt to operate the steering levers or
any other hydraulic controls while standing outside of the
cab! Hydrostatic drive means that the skid steer will respond
instantly when the levers are engaged.
- Operation of controls becomes almost instinctive for
an experienced skid steer driver. Novices can become confused
as a result of having to perform a number of functions at
one time. If this happens, it is usually best to remove
hands and feet from the controls. All machine functions
will stop when pressure on the controls is released.
- Never remove the rollover protective structure
from a skid steer. Keep side screens in place-fatal crushing
injuries have occurred when individuals were caught between
the loader arms and the skid steer frame on "unscreened"
machines.
- The seat belt and seat bar should be employed whenever
you are operating a skid steer.
- Always make sure that attachment locking devices are
in place, even if you are switching attachments for only
a few minutes. If not locked, an attachment could break
free and roll back down the loader arms, or fall onto a
bystander.
Safe skid steer travel
- Skid steer stability decreases as the loader arms are
raised. Always keep the bucket as low as possible when traveling
or turning.
- Avoid steep slopes and rough terrain. Always travel up
and down slopes, never across.
- Move up and down slopes with the heavy end of the loader
pointed uphill. Remember, no load=most weight on the rear
of the skid steer; loaded bucket=more weight on the front.
- Try to go around obstacles, rather than over or through
them.
- Stay as far away from creeks, gullies and ravines as
the banks are deep. Otherwise, the earth could shear and
send the skid steer crashing to the bottom.
- Road travel with a skid steer is not recommended.
Work efficiently
- Drive slowly into the manure pack or material pile, then
raise the front of the attachment. Back away with the load
in the tilted-up bucket or fork.
- Drive to the unloading site with loader arms down. Stop,
raise the arms, and drive forward slowly until the bucket
is just over the spreader or pile.
- Use the hydraulics to keep the attachment level while
raising the lift arms at a slow, even rate. Be prepared
to lower the load quickly if the skid steer becomes unstable.
Work safely
-
Familiarize yourself with warning devices, gauges, and controls.
Study operating procedures outlined in the manual.
-
Check for obstacles or soft soil conditions in the work area.
-
Check for overhead powerlines.
- Riders must never be permitted on skid steer
loaders.
-
Never use a skid steer as a work platform or personnel carrier-hydraulic
failure is always a possibility.
-
Adjust speed to suit working conditions and terrain. Avoid
sudden stops, starts, or turns.
-
Never lift, swing, or otherwise move a load over anyone. In
fact, you should insist that all bystanders leave the area before
you start work.
-
Take care when handling loose materials, such as rocks. Lifting
the arms too high and rolling the bucket back too far could
cause the objects to fall into the cab. That's way it is so
important to keep the bucket level while the arms are being
raised.
-
Avoid dumping over fence posts or similar obstructions that
could enter the cab if the loader were to tip forward.
-
Take care when backfilling. The trench wall could collapse
under the skid steer's weight.
-
Never undercut a high embankment. The earth could give way
and bury the loader.
-
Never place any part of body or limb under raised loader arms.
That's why it is so important to keep' the safety screens in
place.
-
If it is necessary to carry out repairs with the loader arms
raised, be sure to lock the arms in place.
Are there any questions?
Finally, let's take a moment to review some of the "Do's" and
"Don'ts" skid steer loader safety.
DO:
- Fasten
the seatbelt and employ the safety bar before starting
a skid steer.
- Keep
the attachment level while raising the loader arms.
- Keep
the arms lowered while traveling.
- Point
the loader's heavy end uphill when driving up and
down a slope.
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DONT:
- Attempt
to activate skid controls while standing outside of
the cab.
- Drive
across a slope with a skid steer.
- Use
the skid steer bucket as a "work platform"
- Give
anyone a ride in the skid steer's
cab.
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Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 10/2003
The information and recommendations contained in this publication
are believed to be reliable and representative of contemporary
expert opinion on the subject material. The Farm Safety Association
Inc. does not guarantee absolute accuracy or sufficiency of
subject material, nor can it accept responsibility for health
and safety recommendations that may have been omitted due
to particular and exceptional conditions and circumstances.
Copyright © 2002
Farm Safety Association Inc.
22-340 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, Ontario N1H 7K6 (519) 823-5600.
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