Site hazard awareness, signage and safe systems of work
Hazard, risk and the site rules
A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm; risk is the chance of that harm occurring and how serious it would be. On a dumper the hazards are dominated by movement: pedestrians, other plant, excavations, underground and overhead services, edges, soft ground and falling loads.
Every site should give you an induction before you operate, covering the traffic management plan, one-way systems, speed limits, pedestrian routes, exclusion zones, the banksman or vehicle marshaller arrangements and the emergency procedure. A safe system of work turns those controls into a sequence - for example a permit to work, a method statement and a toolbox talk before a task begins.
Signs you must recognise
- Red circle - prohibition (no entry, no smoking).
- Blue circle - mandatory (hard hat, seat belt).
- Yellow triangle - warning (overhead lines, deep excavation).
- Green square - safe condition (first aid, escape route).
- Red square - fire equipment.
Traps
- Service strikes: assume services are live until proven otherwise using a Cable Avoidance Tool and a signal generator, plus drawings; if you hit a service, stop, do not touch, and report - never back away over the damage.
- Overhead lines: use goalposts or a marked crossing point and observe the exclusion distances; never assume rubber tyres make the machine safe.
- Blind spots: a loaded dumper has restricted visibility to the front corners and directly behind.
Rule of thumb
If you cannot make eye contact with a pedestrian or banksman, they cannot be sure you have seen them - slow down or stop.