Safe Operation, Manoeuvring and Travel, Including Stability and Ground Conditions
Safe operation starts with the site: knowing the routes, the ground conditions, the overhead and underground hazards, and the pedestrian interface. Before moving, the operator checks the area around the machine, sounds the horn where fitted, and ensures no one is in the travel path or slew radius. Travel with the bucket low and the machine configured for stability; on slopes, the general principle is to travel up and down the slope rather than across it, with the heavier end uphill, and to keep the bucket close to the ground. On soft ground, track pressure and bearing capacity matter, and the operator should test conditions and avoid edges, excavations and made ground.
Stability depends on the machine's centre of gravity, the counterweight, the load in the bucket, and the ground beneath. Lifting a load or reaching out increases the overturning moment; slew with the load close in and low. Working near excavations requires an assessment of the excavation's effect on bearing capacity and the risk of edge collapse. Weather, including wind on a raised boom, and visibility, including low sun and dust, affect safe operation.
Traps: travelling across a slope because it is a shorter route; slewing with a raised, loaded bucket; assuming tracks make the machine immune to soft ground; and forgetting the tail swing when passing structures or people. Another trap is relying on the horn alone to clear pedestrians.
Rule of thumb: keep the load low, keep it close, keep people out. Worked example: a slope of 15 degrees must be crossed. The correct approach is to find an alternative route; if none exists, travel directly up or down with the bucket low and the heavier end uphill, at low speed.