Job Description Examples For Heavy Equipment Safety

Some people like to grumble about the classroom side of heavy equipment training. I can understand that students want to spend as much time as possible behind the controls gaining experience. However, there are some issues that require classroom time, and heavy equipment safety is one of those issues.

If you have any doubts about the importance of heavy equipment safety, there are two avenues worth looking at. The first are the requirements set down by federal and state legislators. Safety in the workplace has become a real political issue and the end result is fairly tough requirements for employers. That leads us to the second avenue that you can check – the job descriptions for heavy equipment operators.

Here are some examples of what one employer (City of Duluth MN) has including in one of their job descriptions:

Operate gasoline or diesel equipment such as graders, loaders, bulldozers, and backhoes in a safe and efficient manner.

Maintain a safe work area by setting up appropriate barricades, warning devices, and proper vehicle and equipment placement.

Knowledge of applicable safety laws and regulations.

I have been picky in that list since the job requirements run to two pages. However, you can see the importance of safety particularly in the last point. This requires employees to not only work in a safe manner, but to also have knowledge of the safety laws and regulations as they apply to their work.

If you are considering undertaking heavy equipment training, be sure to ask about the safety component before signing on the dotted line. State and federal governments expect safe work places. Employers know that unsafe work practices will result in big fines. Therefore, they generally only recruit employees who can demonstrate heavy equipment safety knowledge so the only path worth taking is training that includes a thorough look at heavy equipment safety.