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MINI EQUIPMENT & EXCAVATION
42 | HIRE
AND
RENTAL
NEWS
| AUGUST 2012
Workcover NSW has put out a Safety
Alert on the safe use of quick hitches on
excavators which reminds users to secure
the excavator’s bucket to the dipper arm.
The alert advises where a quick hitch
device requiring a safety pin is fitted the
safety pin must be inserted. It also advises,
for quick hitches that have an automatic
safety system, check it has fully engaged.
The alert follows a recent incident where
a worker was struck by the bucket of a
20 tonne excavator that appears to have
become detached from the dipper arm,
during the loading of demolition debris and
soil into a truck trailer. The worker died as a
consequence of head and chest injuries.
Preliminary findings from this incident
indicate the safety pin that holds the
attachment in place against the quick hitch
and ensures against inadvertent release was
not inserted.
A quick hitch is a device fitted to an
excavator arm or a backhoe arm for the
purpose of rapidly mounting/dismounting
attachments. These devices depend on
positive hydraulic pressure and a securing
mechanism to hold onto buckets and other
attachments.
A quick hitch system may still function for
some time without the safety pin in place
and then suddenly swing open and release
the bucket or attachment.
According to Workcover NSW, those in
control of work should ensure:
Excavator operators should be trained
and instructed on the safe use of
excavators.
Excavator operators should be
competent to use the specific quick hitch
on the excavator they use, whether it
is automatically secured or by manually
inserting a pin. Competence should be
verified through assessment and regular
reinforcement.
Quick hitches should be maintained and
in proper working order. They should be
marked with the model and serial number,
manufacturer’s name, quick hitch weight
and maximum rated capacity, as well as the
capacity of each lifting point.
Where safety pins or other shaped
securing devices are used, they must meet
the quick hitch manufacturer’s specifications
and be retained on the excavator or the
quick hitch when not in use. Substitutes
such as structural bolts or a reinforcing bar
must not be used.
Excavator operators should check the
SAFETY ALERT - Safe use of quick hitches
on excavators
The deceased was next to the truck trailer when struck by the bucket
pin is in place or the
automatic system has
correctly engaged
on the hitch, before
starting work and
every time a different
attachment is fitted.
They should be
instructed not to use
the machine unless
they are satisfied the
quick hitch is secured.
Excavator operators
should intentionally
disengage the
quick hitch when
attachments are to be
disconnected.
The area around
safety pin insertion
holes can be painted to make it clear to
operators and site supervisors on where the
pin should be inserted. Similarly, pins can be
painted to make them more visible.
All attachments must have correct pin
centres and pin diameters.
Safe systems of work should be
implemented to ensure people are not
exposed to risks by working below or in the
vicinity of the bucket, eg: establishing an
exclusion zone when the excavator is in use.
Workcover also advises it is essential
operators get out of the cab to physically
ensure all quick hitches are securely locked
before starting work with a newly attached
attachment.
For more information contact: 13 10 50 or
visit: workcover.nsw.gov.au
HR
The Kanga TR825 Remote Controlled
Loader developed at parent company
Digga Australia, can remove material up to
10 times faster than manual labour, Digga
CEO Suzie Wright said.
Digga Australia invested considerable
funds in R&D over a three-year period to
commercialise the Kanga TR825 Remote
Controlled Loader and has forecast 20
units for export this calendar
year after successful up-take
by a number of major mining
companies.
“By removing the operator
from hazardous environments
and reducing the stress on labour,
the Kanga remote loader turns
hazardous work into a safe
business, minimising risk and
maximising productivity while
saving companies time and
money,” Suzie Wright said.
The loader is used to clean
under conveyor belt systems in
mining applications for stationary and
operating systems, hazardous and confined
areas or recovering material with poor
access, including drains, tanks and pipes.
It has attachments for sweeping,
trenching, augering holes, levelling, bucket
work and has a hydraulic hammer.
For more information contact: 07 3807
3330 or visit: www.digga.com
HR
Kanga remote controlled loader