RR1156 - Visibility risk zone method to evaluate operator visibility for earth-moving machinery
In Great Britain there are 25 fatal injuries each year on average, and hundreds of non-fatal injuries to workers as a result of being struck by moving vehicles in the workplace. Restricted operator visibility is often identified as a contributing factor in these accidents.
This report describes the development of a risk-based method to determine 'visibility risk zones' for earth-moving machinery such as dumper trucks and excavators. It considers operator visibility all around a machine from its boundary out to the far field of view. The method assists users to: define the areas around a machine that the operator needs to view; identify the areas the operator cannot see; and determine the areas where visibility aids such as mirrors and camera systems are required. The method takes into account the configuration of the machinery and how easy it is to manoeuvre during operation and travel. The method may be useful to assist in the following tasks: (1) Evaluation and verification of machines; (2) Installation of visibility aids and detection systems; (3) Assessment of risks to workers on a jobsite; (4) Organisation of a jobsite to ensure that risks are well controlled; (5) Incident investigation.
Two related reports describe the use of this visibility risk zone method to evaluate operator visibility for an hydraulic excavator (RR1157)[12] and a large rigid frame dumper truck (RR1158)[13].
Visit the RR1156 report (PDF) [14]
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