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Ensuring Safety When Using Hired Hydraulic Equipment on Your Construction Site

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Hydraulic equipment makes work easy on the construction site. You need hydraulic equipment for pile driving, hoisting workers and materials, conveyancing and moving heaps of soil. Ideally, hydraulic equipment relies on the transfer of force through high-pressure channels that have an incompressible fluid. Notably, the immense force generated by the hydraulic equipment such as backhoe loaders and bulldozers poses a safety hazard to the people in and around the site. This is why you should be cautious and take necessary steps to ensure safety for everyone when hiring hydraulic equipment from companies like Afkos Industries for your construction site. The following are some of the things that you should keep in mind:

The Horn

The horn is something that you shouldn't overlook when hiring hydraulic equipment. Even though some equipment may be loud and noisy, there are cases where workers can misjudge the proximity of the engine's sound, leading to severe accidents. Make sure that the machine has a working inbuilt horn or one that is tagged on the machine. If the horn is tagged onto the machine, it should be in a place where the operator can access and use it easily.

The Couplings

When you hire a machine, your service provider will give you one that is built for the specific work that you want to do. Therefore, you should not combine the machine with other parts or use the machine for purposes other than those you described to your service provider. For instance, if you have hired a stationery concrete pump (ideal for pumping small volumes of concrete), do not change the hoses on the pump in an attempt to use it for intense, high-pressure work. Changing the parts of the machine and using them for work that they aren't meant for elevates the risk of accidents and injuries.

Personal Protective Equipment and Maintenance

Your workers should use personal protective equipment whenever they are handling any of the hydraulic machines on the site. The hydraulic fluid is compressed and transmitted at high temperature that can cause severe burns. During maintenance, mounting or inspection, the workers should wear gloves. Moreover, ear protection devices like earmuffs are also important when handling loud machines. This will prevent noise-induced hearing loss. Lastly, remember to inspect the hydraulic lines regularly for wear and leaks to replace worn out parts early enough and prevent catastrophic spillages.

By taking charge of the safety of your workers, you not only look out for their health but also mitigate the possibility of being held liable for negligence. This is very important when you hire hydraulic equipment from a service provider who has limited their obligations in the hire agreement they have with you.


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