A Good Practice Guide on the safe operation of dumpers has been introduced following a number of serious incidents.
The document has been produced through the Strategic Forum Plant Safety Group, led by the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), after incidents involving forward tipping dumpers including overturns and people being struck by the machines.
A draft document has been made available to download for public comment, providing an opportunity for comments on the content before the document is formally launched.
The guidance includes topics such as Operational Factors; Management and Supervision Requirements; Training and Information; Segregation/Exclusion Zones; Dumper Specifications; Machine Selection and Compatibility; and Ground Conditions.
One of the main messages of the safe use guidance is that the use of a dumper should not be an automatic choice. With the use of dumpers fitted with a cab becoming more common, the guidance outlines some of the issues and considerations that need to be made in terms of allowing an operator to remain seated during the loading process.
The draft document and a comments form can be downloaded from www.cpa.uk.net/sfpsgdumpers and the closing date for comments is January 11, 2019.
