Surface Ops Track: Site Work, Heavy Equipment and Hauling · Module 2 of 5 · about 20 min
Running iron around people
The skill this builds. Hiring managers ask: "Walk me through your pre-shift on a machine and how you work around people on foot." They are listening for a real walkaround, blind-spot habits and a stop-when-unsure reflex.
OSHA calls four hazards the Focus Four because they account for most construction deaths: falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, and electrocution. Heavy equipment shows up in the struck-by and caught-between cases again and again.
Every machine has blind spots big enough to hide a pickup. Operators walk around before the shift, looking for people, leaks, damage and anything parked where it should not be. When backing where the operator cannot see, a spotter guides, and the spotter stays where the operator can see them, using signals agreed on before the move.
Excavators and cranes swing. The counterweight sweeps a crush zone, so the swing radius gets barricaded and nobody cuts through it. If you need to approach a running machine, get the operator's attention, make eye contact, and wait for a signal that they have stopped. A nod from across the yard is not that signal.
If a machine has rollover protection (ROPS), wear the seatbelt. The ROPS only protects the space inside it. Climb on and off facing the machine with three points of contact. Jumping down is one of the most common ways operators get hurt.
Overhead lines are the electrocution half of the story. Booms, raised dump bodies and long loads reach lines without anyone noticing. Find the lines before work starts, use a spotter near them, and treat every one as live.
Supervisors notice small things here. The new hire who chocks the wheels, walks the machine without being reminded and stops when someone walks into the zone is the one who gets more seat time.
Sources
- OSHA: Construction Focus Four training
- OSHA 1926.602: Material handling equipment
- OSHA 1926.1424: Work area control (swing radius)
Module quiz
5 questions, 4 correct to pass. You'll see what you missed and why, and you can retake it.
Write a pre-task plan (JSA)
Most sites start the day with a written pre-task plan, sometimes called a JSA or JHA. Supervisors read these to see whether you can spot hazards before they bite. Write one for the job below.
Situation
- Task: load 12 tandem dump trucks with an excavator from a stockpile.
- The stockpile sits beside a site walkway used by other trades.
- A distribution power line crosses the haul road about 30 feet from the loading spot.
- Trucks back in to be loaded. There is one laborer available to spot.
- Weather: dry, dusty.
Your task. Write a short JSA: 3 to 6 job steps, the hazard in each step, and the control you would use. Keep it to about 150 to 300 words. Plain language is better than jargon.
0 words. Feedback is practice only and doesn't affect passing.