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812 OSHA Focus Four Hazards
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Crushed-By Heavy Equipment

The best way to prevent workers from being crushed by heavy equipment that tips over is to prevent the equipment from tipping over in the first place.

Outriggers stabilize the equipment and prevent rollover.

For example, cranes can tip over if the load capacity is exceeded, or the ground is not level or too soft. Therefore cranes should be equipped with outriggers.

OSHA requires your employer to designate a competent person to inspect crane operations to identify hazardous working conditions, including ensuring the support surface is firm and able to support the load. Your employer must also make sure the material handling equipment is equipped with rollover protective structures.

OSHA standards also require motor vehicles, forklifts, and earthmoving equipment to be equipped with seat belts. Your employer must require their use. The use of seat belts will prevent workers from being thrown from a vehicle or equipment and being crushed when the vehicle or equipment tips over.

Crushed-By Collapsing Walls

During demolition, your employer must ensure any stand-alone wall more than one story must have lateral bracing unless the wall was designed to be stand-alone and is otherwise in a safe condition to be self-supporting.

Collapsing walls can easily crush workers who aren't paying attention.

Jacks must have a firm foundation. If necessary, the base of a jack must be blocked or cribbed. After a load has been raised, it must be cribbed, blocked, or otherwise secured at once.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

4-3. What should be done to prevent cranes from rolling over?