How to Ensure Safety While Handling Equipment On and Off the Job Site?

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Safety on the job site is easy to recognize with hardhats, earplugs and blinding neon vests. But beyond the job site, when hauling equipment from one location to the next, for instance, how can safety be ensured? It all comes down to the load and the road.

Optimizing the safety of drivers and others when hauling large equipment, such as excavators, crushers and conveyors, begins long before the wheels start spinning—it must start at the very beginning of the planning process. The first safety consideration should be choosing a trailer that is built for an operation’s specific load requirements. A trailer designed to handle the load safely eliminates the risk of structural failure as well as associated accidents and injuries.

When it comes to matching the trailer to the load requirement, capacity is a key criterion, but state laws and regulations, such as bridge laws and kingpin-to-axle distance guidelines, must also be factored. Generally, the load concentration, or the length of the deck that can handle the rated weight, is the main thing to keep in mind.

In addition to load concentration, a trailer’s safety rating helps paint a more comprehensive picture of load capacity.

It is important to take trailer capacity seriously. Each time it is overloaded, the dynamics of the steel changes, much like a rubber band. Eventually, the steel, and therefore the trailer, will break, increasing the risk for cargo damage, accidents and injuries.

Purchasing the right trailer can be complicated but many manufacturers know capacity from top to bottom and can help contractors select the best trailer for their application.

Courtesy: https://wasteadvantage.com