If you’ve never operated a big piece of machinery before, getting behind the wheel of something with a lot of torque, levers, and power can be very intimidating. But if you’re needing to use a tractor around your house or rent some equipment to take care of additional projects, it’s vital that you know how to correctly and safely use this equipment.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for operating a big piece of machinery for the first time.
Know What Your Machine Can And Can’t Do
Before you even sit down in the driver’s seat of any kind of machinery, you first need to do some training. Even if you’re only going to be using this machinery for a short period of time, you still need to learn all of the important aspects of this equipment.
As part of this, you should learn what the machine can and can’t do. And once you know this information, the National Ag Safety Database, advises that you only use that machinery for its intended purpose. It’s not wise to try to push the machinery past what it’s meant to do, as this could cause the machine to malfunction or could result in you or someone getting hurt.
Go Slow And Steady
Although you might be anxious to get your work done and not have to use this big piece of machinery anymore, James White, a contributor to EHS Today, shares that the best way to stay safe when operating machinery is to go slow and steady.
When you use heavy machinery in a slow, steady way, you’re less likely to be taken by surprise by something. Also, you’ll be less likely to make a mistake with what you’re doing, which could cause you to have to keep using the machine more and more in order to fix your mistake. When if you’re just gone slow and done it right the first time, you could have been done much sooner.
Don’t Operate Big Machinery Alone
Especially if you feel very uncomfortable behind the wheel of this big piece of machinery, it’s important that you don’t operate it alone. Having someone else there to keep an eye on you and help you with maneuvering things can make your job easier to complete.
As you interact with those around you while you’re using the machine, ConstructionWorld.org advises that you lay down some communication strategy beforehand. If you can’t hear them talking over the machine, make sure you each know what hand signals you’ll use for things like stop, keep coming, or turn to the side.
If you’re going to be operating a big piece of machinery for the first time soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to act in order to stay safe.