Hazards, Overhead Lines, Exclusion Zones and Safe Systems of Work
Telehandler hazards fall into categories: machine (overturning, boom collapse, hydraulic failure), load (falling, shifting, overloading), environment (overhead power lines, underground services, soft ground, weather, dust, noise) and people (struck by machine or load, pedestrians in the work area). The most serious single hazard is often overhead power lines: contact can cause fatal electric shock even without direct touch, through arcing. The operator must assume lines are live, maintain the safety distances specified by the line owner or the HSE guidance (which can be several metres depending on voltage), and use goalposts, barriers and a banksman. Where work near lines is unavoidable, the line owner should be consulted and, if appropriate, the line isolated. Exclusion zones keep people out of the danger area - under the boom, under the load, and around the machine's slew and travel path. A safe system of work should be documented for higher-risk tasks and communicated to everyone involved.
Question traps: candidates underestimate the distance at which electricity can arc, or assume rubber tyres insulate the machine - they do not. They forget that underground services are also a hazard when positioning stabilisers or digging with a bucket. Another trap is treating an exclusion zone as advisory; it is a control that must be enforced. Weather (wind on a raised boom or suspended load) is often overlooked.
Rule of thumb: treat every overhead line as live, keep the specified distance, and if you cannot maintain it, stop and get the line owner involved.