subject: Skid Steer Safety Tips To Minimize Accidents At Workplace [print this page] bobcat skid steers are highly useful machines and can serve a variety of purposes. Their functionality and versatility has made them indispensable in many industries. However, it is also true that the skid steer is also responsible for many accidents that are caused at the work place. The main reason for this is a negligent attitude towards the usage of the bobcats. Each year, companies end up shelling out millions of dollars in claims towards personal injury claims caused due to these machines. The good news is that there are ways you can prevent these accidents and save money. Learning about a few safety tips and implementing them is the way to move forward.
One of the most important aspects you need to know is that the bobcat skid steers are classified based on their weight. Therefore, before you start using the skid steer, find out their weight limitations. The primary reason for many bobcat related accidents to occur at work site is overlooked the weight restriction. The amount of weight at any point of time should not exceed the prescribed limits since the chances of the machine overturning are really high. When this happens, you are not only risking the lives of people, but also damage to property. Hence, read the manual before you put them to use to understand this aspect.
The next tip is to make sure you choose the right attachment for use with the skid steer based on the task that needs to be performed. Each attachment serves a specific purpose. Using them interchangeably can be disastrous. For example, using buckets in place of pallet forks and backhoes instead of snow plows will not serve any purpose. It is an absolute waste of time and well as resources and increases the risks considerably. If you are unsure about the attachments, you can either speak to the store from where you purchased the bobcat skid steers or log on to the internet to read up information about the attachments.
The third skid steer safety tip is to make sure the attachment you have chosen to work with is fixed properly. More often than not, people overlook the need to conduct a quick safety inspection to ensure all the screws are well tightened to prevent the attachment from falling off midway. At any given point of time, the chances of these attachments working with extremely heavy loads are high and any loose screws or bolts can cause immeasurable damage to life and property.
Finally, make sure you hire trained and certified operators to handle the bobcat skid steers. These heavy duty machines are unlike many others that are available. Operating these machines requires specialized knowledge that only a skilled and trained operator possesses. Therefore, make sure you hire such operators to make your workplace risk free. Though hiring the services of these operators is slightly expensive, it is worth every dollar since you can save millions that you may have to pay out as claims in case of any mishaps.
