Earth-moving machinery: frequent cause of accidents in civil engineering
There are many accident risks when working in civil engineering: Trucks maneuver backwards, wheel loaders often travel back and forth at high speeds, and excavators turn quickly and swing out. At the same time, employees move around construction sites on foot. Time and again, machine operators and truck drivers fail to notice them and then hit or run them over. "Particularly with excavators, the driver's view to the right and to the rear is severely restricted due to the design," says Volker Münch, a graduate engineer. If a person is there, the driver often does not see them.
Münch is deputy head of the civil engineering section of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). (DGUV), which is now the new "Industry rule 101-604 Civil engineering" has published. It identifies major hazards and summarizes legal provisions and standards as well as the most important Prevention measures clearly summarized. At the same time, it contains practical tips and advice for successful occupational safety on construction sites. "The contractors and Safety Officer This provides them with all the relevant information they need to assess the majority of their activities for hazards and define appropriate measures," says Münch.
Images and graphics facilitate understanding
Accidents with excavators, earth-moving machines and construction vehicles usually end in serious or even fatal injuries. The safe use of construction machinery and the qualification of machine operators are therefore dealt with in the industry rule, as are fall protection, traffic routes and personal safety equipment. Protective equipment. Other chapters deal with individual areas of civil engineering work, such as road construction or work in and around excavations and trenches. Likewise, special civil engineering work, underground construction work, hydraulic engineering or work on floating equipment - for example in the renovation of port facilities - as well as explosive ordnance disposal are considered in the document. Pictures illustrate the explanations and depict correct occupational safety in practice. In addition, numerous graphics facilitate understanding. They show, for example, how a stable embankment can be created without further proof of stability.
More info
