Construction sites are complicated work environments where people must work safely alongside heavy machinery. To help ensure safe working conditions, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established regulations for the proper use of numerous types of equipment. These regulations are exacting, with many specific rules for specific pieces of heavy machinery, but we’ve distilled them into 5 key guidelines below.

1. Perform Proper Inspection and Maintenance of Machinery

This is the first and most universal guideline and an OSHA requirement for all heavy machinery. Regular inspection and maintenance of this equipment should take place according to manufacturer guidelines as well as OSHA regulations. Equipment operation should also follow these sets of guidelines.

2. Make Sure All Equipment is Fully Turned Off and Stationary When Not in Use

Any equipment that’s not in use can present a safety hazard if proper shutdown procedures aren’t followed or the machinery is not fully stationary.

• Fully turn off the power to the equipment
• Put controls in neutral positions
• Any parked equipment should have the parking brake set, and equipment parked on an incline should also have the wheels chocked

3. Disengage and Guard Moving Parts When Not in Use

This is similar to our previous tip, but accounts for the many different types of equipment used on a construction site. If a piece of heavy machinery has moving, hanging, or otherwise non-stationary parts, they should be in neutral positions, fastened, or guarded when the equipment is being repaired or not in use.

• Bulldozer and scraper blades, end-loader buckets, dump bodies, and similar equipment should be fully lowered or blocked
• Any parts or equipment held aloft or suspended by slings, hoists, or jacks should be blocked or cribbed to prevent them from shifting or falling
• Any point of operation that exposes an operator to injury should be guarded. Scissor points on front-end loaders are an example
• Pneumatic-tired, earth-moving haulage equipment (including trucks, scrapers, tractors, and trailing units) should have fenders on all wheels if it can move fast than 15 mph
• High lift rider industrial trucks should have overhead guards
• Safety platforms should be attached to the lifting carriage or forks, and operators should be able to shut off the truck’s power from the platform

4. Signaling and Visibility Aids

Full awareness of machinery on a construction site is vital, and to this end both visual and auditory signals should be utilized. Operators should also be able to work without visual obstruction or with the benefit of assistance when it would be impossible to see the entire working area.

• Bidirectional machines (bulldozers, front-end loaders, rollers, compactors, and similar equipment) should have a horn that can be sounded when the machine is in motion
• Cab glass should be safety glass that does not distort the operator’s view
• In circumstances where a rear view is obstructed, OSHA requires backup alarms or spotters
• OSHA does not require backup alarms on powered industrial trucks (for example, forklifts), but has regulations to prevent their removal if machinery is equipped with one by the manufacturer
• Vehicles that are on or adjacent to a construction site in operation, next to a highway, or unattended should have lights and reflectors to identify their location

5. Account for Site and Transportation Safety

Safe operation isn’t just about the equipment, but also about the quality of the worksite. There are specific regulations for safely transporting equipment around a construction site.

• Construction equipment should only be moved on an access roadway or grade that’s built to accommodate such equipment
•  Any emergency access ramp or berm used on a worksite should be constructed to restrain and control runaway vehicles