Safety, Hazard Recognition, and Occupational/Environmental Requirements
Safety, Hazard Recognition, and Occupational/Environmental Requirements
This domain tests whether you recognize the hazard before the crew does: electrical, hydraulic, chemical, dust, noise, and traffic.
The big five
- Power lines: maintain OSHA minimum approach distances - 10 ft for lines rated 50 kV or less, 15 ft for over 50 kV to 200 kV, 20 ft for over 200 kV to 350 kV, 25 ft for over 350 kV to 500 kV. Assume lines are energized; a spotter and the utility's own clearance rules may require more.
- Hydraulic injection: a pinhole leak can inject fluid under the skin. Never feel for a leak with your hand; use cardboard, and get medical help immediately if injected.
- Wet concrete: caustic cement burns, eye injury, dermatitis. Boots, gloves, and eye/face protection.
- Silica: cutting, chipping, and dry cleanup create respirable crystalline silica - use water or vacuum controls plus respiratory protection per the employer's program.
- Struck-by and crush: exclusion zone under the boom, in the outrigger swing area, and behind the pump when backing.
Worked example
The boom tip will pass 11 ft from a 12.5 kV line. The minimum for that voltage is 10 ft, so 11 ft looks legal. But the tip sways, wind pushes it, and the line sags lower in heat. The correct call is to move the setup or have the utility cover or de-energize - the measured 11 ft is not the operating distance.
Traps that cost marks
Treating "de-energized" as fact without utility confirmation; standing between the pump and the form to watch the pour; discharging washout or return concrete into storm drains; skipping hearing protection at the hopper; assuming a small hydraulic leak is harmless.