Freezing Affects Heavy Equipment Operations

It’s Freezing Outside

Brrrrrr…..it’s getting colder! Freezing!! Most heavy equipment operators don’t have the luxury of putting their equipment in a heated location overnight, so when you come to work in the morning, that equipment is really cold. So cold, in fact, that things can change in the way that the machinery works. Here are three things to watch out for:

• frozen pipelines — particularly hydraulics
• metal stress — hairline cracks develop in grader blades or teeth on excavator buckets
• ice — steps and handles can be dangerously slippery

Learn How To Handle Freezing Hazards Before You Start

When you get your training at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School, one of the things covered in the pre-start-up check. This foundational step is essential all year long, but in the winter it’s even more important. Learning how to look for problems like frozen pipelines, metal stress, and ice is one thing — learning how to deal with those problems is even better.

Every class and training session is designed to make students ready to work as professionals in the skilled trades industries. Professionals know how to avoid hazards through proper maintenance and thorough inspections. Heavy equipment works all year long, and in the frozen winter months, there are many heavy equipment operators staying safe because they stay on top of what’s happening overnight.

Knowing what to look for in freezing hazards and what to do when you find it make the difference between a heavy equipment operator with a big problem in their machine and a heavy equipment operator with a big paycheck.