Over recent years, the UK as a whole has fallen into a culture of health and safety which in some instances may be a little OTT. However, one of the really positive things to come out of it is the way in which certain working environments like building sites for example are now quite massively safer than they may once have been. Today, reports of plant machinery like the telescopic handler being involved in accidents are incredibly rare to say the least, though they do happen. And when they do, the consequences can be severe – a fact that’s especially painful considering how easily most could have been avoided.
Generally speaking, at least 99 out of every 100 on-site accidents could have been easily prevented with a few common sense safety measures. The machines themselves aren’t in the habit of causing accidents on their own right – it is after all their operators that have the final say in what happens. So, with this in mind, what are the kinds of bad habits and negative attitudes that could see a telescopic handler right at the centre of an on-site accident or incident?
Lacklustre Hardware
Well, the first and often foremost cause of machinery malfunction and resulting accidents on any given site is poor quality hardware being chosen and used in the first place. These days, it’s pretty hard to find any supplier than isn’t doing things by the book – success in the telehandler hire industry these days means practicing superbly high standards. However, there are still duds out there to be found and second-rate machines being thrown around for bargain-basement prices. And if any site knowingly buys a poor quality telescopic handler just to save a few quid here and there, they cannot reasonably point the finger of blame anywhere else when things go wrong.
Not Requiring Drive Training
In an official sense, there’s technically nothing that states it is mandatory for a telescopic handler to undergo any formal training. As such, some sites insist their drivers take a training course and others don’t bother…no prizes in this case for guessing which group faces the higher prospect of on-site accidents. What’s impossible to ignore here is the fact that telescopic handler driver training doesn’t exist just for the sake of it. Instead, it exists to make drivers safer, more efficient, and generally better at their jobs.
Ignoring Other Site Workers
When a telescopic handler is introduced to any given site, it’s important for everyone to be brought up to speed on what it does, how it does it and how to behave around it in a safe manner. Comprehensive site training is of crucial importance and should cover things like keeping a safe distance while the telescopic handler is in operation, where its blind spots are while moving, the importance of using PPE, and so on. If any of these are overlooked, the likelihood of an accident increases exponentially.
Overlooking Checklists
Every bit of site hardware, from the telescopic handler to the bog-standard drill, will have something of a checklist that needs to be addressed before, during, and after operation. In the case of the telescopic handler this may include a series of pre-start checks, a multitude of things to look out for when using it, and plenty of checks to carry out when shutting it down. Every one of these checks exists for a reason and constitutes a risk or hazard if ignored.
Performance Issues Unaddressed
Much of the time, a site manager will only call in the maintenance crew when a piece of equipment has totally given up and gone south on them. Sadly, when this does occur it can happen in the form of a spectacularly dangerous malfunction, which in the case of the telescopic handler could easily put lives at risk. As such, it is of the utmost importance to be aware of any performance problems and to address them immediately.
Ignoring Your Senses
Something else to bear in mind with the telescopic handler and other such machinery is how your senses are one of the most important lines of defence against potential problems. For example, if the handler for any reason seems to be getting too hot, is making too much noise, looks to be performing strangely or just doesn’t ‘feel’ as it should, it’s important to get it looked at for the safety of the whole site.
Irregular Servicing
And finally, a telescopic handler is just like any other vehicle in the world and will not function well for the long-term without regular servicing. Unlike any other vehicle however, when a telescopic handler malfunctions having been neglected for years on end, the results can be catastrophic to say the least.
