Grader Safety, Most of It is Commonsense

When it comes to grader safety, most of the guidelines fall clearly into the category of commonsense. All the same, accidents do happen because people forget the guidelines or do not feel that they are in danger. It is just as easy to become complacent regarding grader safety as it is any other type of heavy equipment safety.

• Wear relatively tight fitting clothing with a belt. Loose clothes can catch on controls.
• Keep all of your contact points free of water, grease, mud and anything else that might cause you to slip. Contact points include the controls, losing your grip on the steering wheel can be just as dangerous as overbalancing as you exit the vehicle.
• Only operate your grader from the driver’s position.
• Keep your grader in gear when you are going downhill.
• Avoid excessive speed when you are going downhill.
• Take your turns slowly and carefully. Reduce your speed before the turn, rather than during your turn.

These are by no means all of the grader safety guidelines, but they are some of the ones that people tend to forget about when they become complacent. If you have any other grader safety recommendations, please do not hesitate to leave a comment to this article. If you are interested in grader training, grader safety or any other aspect of heavy equipment training, please contact us at Associated Training Services