How to Prevent Equipment Rollovers: Easy Ways to Stay Safe

Rollovers are some of the most dangerous, yet most preventable, disasters on jobsites. Do you know how to prevent equipment rollovers? What about how to survive one if it happens?

We talked to Tim Dobbins, Inside Rental Salesperson at our Springdale branch, to learn more about preventing and surviving rollovers!

 

As a former Hugg & Hall CDL driver who transferred to Rental, Tim has seen his fair share of equipment rollovers, and even survived one. (More on that later.)

Tim said,

Rollovers are a constant threat on jobsites. There are just so many places bad things can happen. Uneven terrain, potholes, sinkholes where trenches have been dug and covered up without compaction. Sharp turns or turns taken too fast.

Rollovers are even a danger when equipment is being unloaded. I once had a forklift slide off the side of a trailer while no one was on it. Accidents happen. It’s why we have to be aware as drivers and operators.

 

Preventing rollovers is easier than you think. It just requires a little more thought and preparation when you’re on the job.

 

Go slow.

Speeding on uneven ground, such as gravel or unpaved dirt, can cause a rollover.

You’re also more likely to have a rollover if you turn too fast.

 

Keep booms and buckets low during transport and turning.

Additionally, lower any attachments before exiting the machine.

Doing so lowers the machine’s center of gravity and makes it less likely to tip.

 

Check the weather and ground conditions.

Operating on muddy or soft ground can cause the machine to rollover.

 

Be wary on slopes and embankments.

Even if you drive slower and only on hard ground, slopes, road edges, and embankments are the most likely place to cause a rollover.

• Don’t drive too close to road edges.
• Avoid slopes that are too steep for the machine. (Check your owner’s manual or contact your rental team to determine the highest slope or grade the machine can handle.)
• Drive directly up or down slopes, rather than driving diagonally.
• Never park too close to a slope or embankment.
• Downshift for better traction.
• Cut a flat area for the machine to sit on when you’re excavating a slope.
• Keep the fill side higher when working next to an embankment.

 

What happens when you do find yourself in a rollover? Trust the machine’s seatbelt and rollover protective structure (ROPS) to do their jobs.

When Tim was a driver, he survived an accidental rollover. He said,

Before I worked at Hugg & Hall, I was unloading a SD70 sheepsfoot roller when the machine slid off the side of the trailer, out of control. It was a steep trailer with an oily surface, and that sheepsfoot was metal on metal.

At the time, I broke the golden rules of equipment operation. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and when the machine slid off the side of the trailer, I jumped out the opposite side of the roll. I’m incredibly lucky it wasn’t worse. It worked at the time, but it was wrong.

Most drivers don’t use seatbelts, but it’s a must. Doing what I did can absolutely result in death.

If you are in a rollover, belted in, just hang on. Do not jump. Oftentimes, the operator who tries to jump gets caught in the rollover protective structure. The danger of being crushed to death is very real.

Wearing a seatbelt and not jumping ship is the best, and easiest, way to save your life when things go south.

 

Wear a seatbelt at all times, and close the machine door if it has one.

The seatbelt keeps you in the safest part of the cab. You have a much better chance of surviving a rollover if you are wearing your seatbelt.

 

Stay in the cab.

The machine is designed to protect you. Never try to jump out of the cab.

Excavators and other construction equipment have a rollover protective structure, or ROPS. It will keep the weight of the machine off of you.

Trying to jump out of the cab could result in you being pinned below the machine, which will almost certainly result in a fatality.

Pull your knees and elbows in, lean away from the impact, and trust the ROPS.

 

Never attempt to enter a tipping machine to prevent the rollover.

If you see it happening, make others aware so they can stay out of the path of the machine. Then let it tip. The machine is not worth your life.

 

Knowing how to prevent equipment rollovers can save your life. It can also save the lives of others on your jobsite, ensuring the machine doesn’t roll onto someone else.

If you do find yourself in an rollover, never try to jump out of the cab. Keep your seatbelt on at all times and stay put.

 

Want to see more equipment best practices and improve safety on your jobsite? Visit our page on equipment best practices!

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