What’s The Core Ingredient To Heavy Equipment Safety?

Workplace safety is a big issue across the nation and there has been a lot of attention given to the construction industry in general. Building sites are dangerous places for those who are not fully aware of what is going on around them – it’s certainly not a place that encourages daydreaming. Heavy equipment safety has come in for a lot of criticism over the years due to the number of avoidable accidents that have taken place. Today, an employer will not hire an operator unless they have had some form of heavy equipment safety training – at least sufficient to meet the national minimum standards.

No matter how much training an individual has, their ability to work safely all comes down to one key ingredient – common sense – and you would be surprised how many times an operator has ignored this and created a real problem. Safety rules are put in place for a reason. Not to make life harder for operators, but to make life safer for themselves and for those working around them. And common sense is at the center of most safety rules – as it is in most areas of our lives.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have fully endorsed the safety rules and working safely is an issue we deal with from day one in training. When students are operating heavy equipment, safety is at the forefront with students encouraged to consider these issues before making any maneuvers. In order to complete their training, students must not only demonstrate an ability to operate heavy equipment, they must also demonstrate their knowledge of the safety issues involved with operating their equipment.

A safer workplace means there are fewer injuries (and loss of life), less downtime (accidents often need to be investigated for causes), and less damage to property and equipment. It estimated that construction companies could save over a billion dollars each year, just by cutting out avoidable accidents. Do you have common sense? If you do, you have the core ingredient for a safer workplace – and we can help you learn the skills to capitalize on that common sense to become an effective and safe heavy equipment operator.