

The pre-lifting risk assessment should ensure that the hazards associated with this operation are fully considered, particularly the presence of personnel adjacent to the machine’s travel path. Traveling with a suspended load is particularly hazardous. The excavator operator should always make use of the safety lever (safety armrest) whenever the slinger is in the danger area. Excavator lifting capacity chart – excavator sizes chart Excavator operatorĮxcavator lifting capacity chart: Excavator operators and slingers should be made aware of these dangers and effective communications must always be maintained between slinger and operator. Injuries are usually severe in these cases. One common incident of this type is where the excavator slews rapidly, for example when the operator catches the cuff of his coat on the left-hand joystick, and the ground worker is struck by the bucket or dipper arm or crushed between the dipper arm and a fixed object. This puts the slinger at risk of being struck by the load, bucket or excavator arm if the excavator moves without warning.

Where the excavator is used for object handling however, the slinger has to be in the danger area in order to hook the load on to the hooking device. Under normal circumstances, personnel are kept away from the working area around the bucket of an excavator, as this is considered to be a hazardous area. The use of an excavator or backhoe for lifting creates additional hazards for personnel in the vicinity. 13 Maximum lifting capacity of excavatorĮxcavator lifting capacity chart – excavator sizes chart: Particular Hazards Associated with Lifting with Excavators.8 Excavator Requirements when Used for Lifting.
