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Heavy Construction Equipment

Safety requirements for heavy construction equipment are as follows:

A. General repairs must not be made to powered equipment until workers are protected from movement of the equipment or its parts. 1595(a)

B. Before repairs are made workers must comply with lock-out/block-out requirements if applicable. 3314

C. Wherever mobile equipment operation encroaches on a public thoroughfare, a system of traffic controls must be used. 1598(a)

D. Flaggers are required at all locations where barricades and warning signs cannot control the moving traffic (see pages 85-86). 1599(a), (d)

E. Job-site vehicles must be equipped with the following:

1. Operable service, emergency, and parking brakes. 1591(c), 1597(a)
   
2. Two operable headlights and taillights for night operation. 1597(b)
   
3. Windshield wipers and defogging equipment as required. 1597(d)
   
4. Seat belts if the vehicle has rollover protection structures. 1597(g)
   
5. Fenders or mud flaps. 1591(f), 1597(I)
   
6. Adequate seating if the vehicles are used to transport employees. 1597(f)
   

F. Vehicles and systems must be checked for proper operation at the start of each shift. 1597(j)

G. Rollover protection structures and seat belts must be installed and used for the following equipment with a brake horsepower rating above 20:

1. Crawler tractor
   
2. Bulldozer
   
3. Front-end loader
   
4. Motor grader
   
5. Scraper
   
6. Tractor (except side boom pipe laying)
   
7. Water wagon prime mover
   
8. Sheeps foot-type rollers and compactors
   
9. Rollers and compactors (weighing more than 5,950 lbs.). 1596(a)
   

H. Haulage and earth moving equipment safety requirements are as follows:

1. Every vehicle having a body capacity of 2.5 cu. yds. or more must be equipped with an automatic backup alarm that sounds immediately on backing. 1592(a)
   
2. All other vehicles operating when rear vision is blocked must be equipped with an automatic backup alarm or its equivalent. 1592(b)
   
3. All vehicles must be equipped with a manually operated warning device. 1592(c)
   
4. Haulage vehicles in operation must be under operator control and must be kept in gear when descending grades. 1593(b)
   
5. The brakes on a haulage vehicle must meet the criteria specified by the CSOs. 1591(c)
   
6. The control devices on a haulage vehicle must be inspected at the beginning of each shift. 1593(d)
   
7. Exposed scissor points on front-end loaders must be guarded. 1593(i)
   
8. Engines must be stopped during refueling. 1594(a)
   
9. Lights are required for night operation. 1591(g)
   
10. Vehicles loaded by cranes, shovels, loaders, and similar devices must have an adequate cab or canopy for operator protection. 1591(e)
    
11. Dust control is required when dust seriously limits visibility. 1590(b)
    
12. Respirators are required for drivers when air contamination becomes hazardous. 1590(b)
    
13. Industrial tractor operator’s instructions must be posted in a conspicuous place, and operators must be able to understand them. 3664(b)
    
14. Loads on vehicles must be secured from displacement. 1593(f)