Heavy equipment and vehicles

Scope

The OSHA regulations for motor vehicles and mechanized equipment are broken down into two areas: motor vehicles and materials handling equipment. The motor vehicle section covers off-road vehicles and on-road vehicles such as dump trucks and pick-ups when they are off-road. The materials handling section is further broken down into two sections: earth and materials moving equipment. Examples of earth moving equipment would include: scrapers, loaders, dozers, and excavators. Materials moving equipment would include forklifts and telescoping handlers.

Note: When motor vehicles are driven on-road, and the vehicle falls under the Department of Transportation requirements for a commercial vehicle (10,001 pounds or greater) operating in interstate commerce, the vehicle and the driver are subject to driver qualification, hours of service, inspection and maintenance, and other requirements. If the vehicles operate only intrastate, it depends on what the state has established for requirements.

Regulatory citations

• 29 CFR 1926.20(b) — General safety and health provisions: Accident prevention responsibilities
• 29 CFR 1926.600 — Equipment
• 29 CFR 1926.601 — Motor Vehicles
• 29 CFR 1926.602 — Material Handling Equipment
• 29 CFR 1910.178(l) — Powered Industrial Trucks

Key definitions

• Competent person: One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
• Earthmoving equipment: Scrapers, loaders, crawler or wheel tractors, bulldozers, off-highway trucks, graders, agricultural and industrial tractors, and similar equipment. Not included are compactors and rubber-tired skid-steer equipment.
• Motor vehicles: Those vehicles that operate within an off-highway jobsite not open to public traffic.

Summary of requirements

The standard requires covered employers to:

All equipment

• Have your competent person perform frequent and regular inspections of your jobsites, materials, and equipment.
• Prohibit the use of any machinery, tool, material, or equipment not in compliance with OSHA regulations.
• Only allow employees qualified by training or experience to operate any motor vehicles, machinery, and other equipment.
• Provide proper lighting to identify the location of equipment left unattended at night.
• Use safety tire racks and cages when inflating tires.
• Block or crib suspended equipment to prevent falling or shifting during maintenance.
• Set the parking brake when equipment is parked. On inclines use wheel chocks and parking brake.
• Consider all overhead electrical wiring to be energized unless line owner indicates otherwise.
• Follow minimum clearance distances between energized power lines and equipment.

• Provide and maintain a service brake system, an emergency brake system, and a parking brake system.
• Provide and maintain suitable headlights and brake lights.
• Provide and maintain an audible warning devise, such as a horn.
• Provide and maintain a reverse signal alarm audible above the surrounding noise level, or back up the vehicle only when an observer signals that it is safe to do so.
• Require a cab shield and/or canopy adequate to protect the motor vehicle operator from shifting or falling materials.
• Provide, on vehicles used to transport employees, seats firmly secured and adequate for the number of employees to be carried. Provide proper seat belts and anchorage for each seat.
• Inspect all vehicles in use at the beginning of each shift to make sure parts, equipment, and accessories are in safe operating condition and free of apparent damage that could cause failure while in use. Correct all defects before the vehicle is placed in service.

• Provide seat belts on all equipment except those designed only for stand up operation.
• Make sure access roadways or grades are constructed and maintained to safely accommodate the movement of equipment and vehicles involved.
• Make sure equipment has a service braking system.
• Make sure equipment has rollover protective structures that meet the minimum performance standards.
• Provide and maintain a horn that is distinguishable from the surrounding noise level.
• Provide and maintain a reverse signal alarm distinguishable from the surrounding noise level or have an employee signal that it is safe to operate in reverse.
• Guard all scissor points on front-end loaders.

Mechanized equipment — Lifting and hauling equipment

• Make sure equipment has the rated capacity clearly posted on the vehicle and it is visible to the operator. Post corresponding alternate rated capacities on the vehicle when auxiliary removable counterweights are provided by the manufacturer. Do not exceed these ratings.
• Do not make modifications or additions which affect the capacity or safe operation of the equipment without the manufacturer’s written approval. Change the capacity, operation, and maintenance instruction plates, tags, or decals if such modifications or changes are made.
• Never reduce the original safety factor of the equipment.
• When lifting a load using two or more trucks working in unison, do not exceed the proportion of the total load capacity carried by any one truck.
• Do not attach steering or spinner knobs to the steering wheel unless the steering mechanism is of a type that prevents road reactions from causing the steering handwheel to spin. If allowed mount the steering knob within the periphery of the wheel.
• Equip all high lift rider industrial trucks with overhead guards.
• Prohibit unauthorized personnel to ride on powered industrial trucks. Provide a safe place to ride where riding of trucks is authorized.
• Provide powered industrial truck operator training per 1910.178(l).