SEATBELTS SAVES LIVES
(Even on Heavy Equipment)

Most people have heard the statistics on how many lives could be saved if everyone wore seat belts every time they got in the vehicle, even for short trips. Many states now have laws that require the use of safety belts, at least by children and vehicle operators. If you don't wear yours, you're betting your life that you can beat the odds. Not only should seat belts be worn when driving or riding in an automobile or truck, but also when operating heavy equipment. The following story is about one operator who didn't wear his and paid the price.

This operator was thirty-five years old and had been operating the type equipment for five years for the company he was working for at the time. The piece of equipment in this case was a feller-buncher which is used to cut down trees by logging companies. On this day the operator was cutting trees on a gentle slope and was, no doubt, not concerned about the terrain causing him problems. This same sense of security can be observed on other equipment when the operator feels he is on stable ground with little chance of rolling over. Also, the rollover protection on the equipment adds to that security, especially if it is fully enclosed as it was in this case. While attempting to cut a large tree and lay it down, the piece of equipment became unbalanced and rolled over on its side. The operator was not wearing either his seat belt or his hard hat at the time. He sustained a blow to the head from being thrown around inside the cab. He was taken to a hospital and later died of a blood clot in his brain. The piece of equipment received only minor damage.

Do you buckle your seat belt while operating your equipment? How about your hard hat--do you ever hang it inside the cab and just put it on when you dismount in the construction area? Are these items only for when the situation looks treacherous?

Even though your equipment is equipped with rollover protection and/or fully enclosed, you should still wear your hard hat and seat belt at all times. If you're not fully enclosed, the seat belt could keep you inside the protection and prevent you from being crushed after being thrown from the equipment. Look around at the inside of your enclosed cabs. They're not very well padded, are they? The seat belt can protect you from being bounced off the sides and roof of the cab. In any case a properly fitted hard hat can minimize the damage if you happen to hit any parts of the cab with your head. If the above individual had been wearing either of these devices, he probably would still be working today. WHAT CHOICE WILL YOU MAKE?