Pedestrian in the slew zone during trench-side tracking
You are operating a 13-tonne 360-degree tracked excavator on a road-widening project. The machine is tracking along a haul road with a 2.4 m deep trial trench on the left and a signed pedestrian route 3 m to the right. The ground has a slight crossfall toward the trench and is greasy after overnight rain. An agency worker has stepped inside the 5 m exclusion zone to retrieve a shovel. He is 4 m from the counterweight, looking down, and has not acknowledged you. Your banksman is on the far side of the trench and his radio call breaks up. The supervisor shouts that the concrete wagon is waiting and tells you to slew away and keep tracking. Rain has started, the cab windscreen is misting, and your bucket is loaded with spoil. A second worker is walking toward the pedestrian route.
1. What do you do in the next 30 seconds, and why?
Read the worked answer
Stop tracking immediately and lower the bucket to the ground. Keep the machine stationary, apply the park brake, select neutral and isolate the controls, following the manufacturer's shutdown sequence only as far as is safe without slewing. Do not slew away: the worker is 4 m from the counterweight, inside the tail-swing radius, and may move unpredictably. Use the horn and radio, and ask the banksman to move to a position where he can see the worker and signal clearly. If the radio is unusable, stop all machine movement and use agreed hand signals or a runner. Wait until the worker has been escorted out of the exclusion zone and has acknowledged you. The crossfall toward the trench, greasy ground, misting screen and loaded bucket all increase the consequence of any movement. The supervisor's delay pressure does not make the movement safe. Record the near miss and the radio failure.
2. The supervisor repeats the instruction and says the delay will cost money. How do you handle this and what do you record?
Read the worked answer
Treat it as an unsafe instruction, not a personality clash. Repeat the specific hazard: a worker inside the 5 m zone, tail-swing crush risk, poor radio, crossfall toward a 2.4 m trench. Offer safe alternatives: halt the concrete wagon, move the pedestrian route, reposition the banksman, or stop the machine and wait. If the supervisor insists, do not move; escalate to the site manager or health and safety adviser. Record the time, location, what was said, the worker's position, the radio problem, weather and the action taken. Complete a near-miss or incident report and inform the next operator. Legal duties include taking reasonable care of yourself and others, cooperating with the site's safety arrangements and not interfering with safety controls. The operator has control of the machine, so the decision to move remains with you until the exclusion zone is clear and communication is reliable.