CSCS Site Dumper cheat sheet

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees; employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their acts or omissions.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, a named competent person, and cooperation between dutyholders sharing a workplace.

RIDDOR reporting thresholds: a fatality, a specified injury, an over-seven-day incapacitation, or a dangerous occurrence must be reported to the HSE; over-three-day injuries are recorded in the accident book only.

The hierarchy of control runs: eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE as the last resort; PPE alone is never a sufficient control for a significant risk.

Safety sign shapes carry fixed meaning: red circle with slash = prohibition, blue circle = mandatory action, yellow triangle = warning, green rectangle = safe condition or escape route.

The CDM Regulations 2015 place duties on clients, principal designers, principal contractors and contractors; a construction phase plan is required before work starts on notifiable projects.

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not cause harm but could have; reporting it allows the cause to be corrected before a repeat produces an injury.

Environmental duties on site: prevent silty water entering drains, bund fuel and oil stores, segregate waste under the waste hierarchy, and stop dust and noise at source.

Pre-use checks before every shift: engine oil, coolant, fuel, hydraulic fluid, tyre condition and pressure, brake and steering function, horn, lights, seat belt, ROPS/FOPS structure and fluid leaks.

A site dumper is a rigid-frame, rear- or front-tipping carrier with a high centre of gravity; the loaded skip must be kept low, and travelling with the skip raised is the main cause of overturn.

Never carry passengers unless a second seat is fitted and the machine is rated for it; a person in the skip is a fatal crush risk on tipping.

Travel with the skip trailing and the heaviest load low and centrally placed; on gradients keep the load uphill, descend in the lowest gear, and avoid turning across a slope.

The operator must be trained, competent and authorised for that machine type; a card is evidence of training, not a substitute for familiarisation on the specific dumper.

Reversing is the highest-risk manoeuvre: use mirrors, a banksman where visibility is restricted, and stop immediately if you lose sight of the signaller.

Before tipping, confirm the ground is level and firm, the area behind is clear, and the edge is protected by a stop block or earth berm; tip into the wind where dust is a hazard.

Park with the skip lowered, controls in neutral, parking brake applied, keys removed, and on a gradient chock the wheels; refuel only with the engine off and no ignition sources nearby.