Safety Tip of the Week – Blind Spots in Mobile Equipment

A blind spot is the area around a vehicle or piece of construction equipment that is not visible to the operators, either by direct line-of-sight or indirectly by use of internal or external mirrors.

Pre-job Risk Assessment – Consider These Points:

• Consider the suitability of providing back-up alarms on all mobile equipment.
• Whenever possible, plan the project to allow for drive-through operations that will limit the need for vehicles to back-up.
• Reduce foot traffic in areas where mobile equipment is to be working.
• Establish designated travel areas, ideally with
  barricades or other means to set apart from work locations.

Protection:

• High-Visibility Clothing;
• Backup Alarms;
• Protective Barriers;
• Observer;
• Communication; and
• Awareness.

BE ALERT…EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!!