Getting a handle on safety

Scrap handler operators can travel up and down the machine’s ladder 20 times in a typical workday. Nearly every worker is aware of the three-points-of-contact rule, yet falls still occur frequently. (The three-points-of-contact rule is to maintain one hand and two feet, or two hands and one foot, when climbing or descending ladders, trucks and other equipment.)

Don Lindenfelser, application specialist for Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar’s Industrial and Waste Group, says he is a strong advocate for the three-points-of-contact rule. He refers to an incident that involved the safety director of a major scrap yard. The 52-year-old’s hand slipped while climbing into a scrap handler, and he fell 6 feet, his right foot landing on a sharp metal piece. The gentleman has had 10 surgeries since.

Lindenfelser says, “This guy was really knowledgeable … and he told me, ‘I’m a prime example that if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody.’”

He adds, “This is a dangerous industry. There are a lot of accidents.”

STUDYING FOR SAFETY

Safety is a cost factor and it isn’t free, says Andreas Ernst of scrap handler manufacturer Sennebogen LLC, with U.S. offices in Stanley, North Carolina. “A lot of things can be done to make it more safe on a scrap handler,” he says.

In addition to equipment innovations and advancements, safety also includes how operations maintain equipment, he says. Are they keeping up with preventive maintenance? Are broken windows being repaired or replaced?

Beyond preventive and daily maintenance, safety includes education. Ernst says Sennebogen—and most suppliers—offers an operator’s manual that includes information on safety features. The company also provides a free copy of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Scrap and Material Handler Safety Manual. Typically available for a nominal fee, the 48-page manual is written for those who own, rent, operate or maintain scrap handlers. Moreover, Sennebogen trains operators at its Training Center, where more than 1,000 workers have attended courses.

Caterpillar also hosts its own training sessions, ensuring its equipment dealers are trained on new machine models each year. Every Cat dealer in North America is a certified dealer instructor (CDI), says Sal Angelone, fatigue solutions consultant for Caterpillar.

Angelone leads training classes on material handlers. For one week in February, south of Tucson, Arizona, Cat dealers attend several classes and eventually earn their CDI certification.

“When the material handler is delivered to the customer, it’s the dealer’s sole job to train all of the operators who are going to run the machine,” Angelone says. “Like I do to them, they go out and teach. I’m training our dealers how to do this to ensure we get only trained safety operators on these machines.”

Scrap handlers are not average machines, he says, and “you’ve got to have some safety training.”

All of Terex’s service technicians are required to attend technical training, which provides information on safety behavioral codes for dealing with the company’s machines, says Ron de Vries, general manager at Fuchs, a Terex brand. He is based in Germany, though Fuchs’ U.S. headquarters is in Louisville, Kentucky.

IN THE DETAILS

Ernst says because Sennebogen builds purpose-built machines, the company is able to incorporate safety features more efficiently. “The reason Sennebogen can actively address safety concerns is because we’re a purposeful material handler. When we rebuild our machines, we think of this from the get-go,” he says.

Ernst says much of what other equipment manufacturers recently have released related to safety on their material handlers, Sennebogen already has offered, from handrails on top of the undercarriage to a sliding cab door and cameras. The company’s scrap handlers also feature limit switches on the boom and stick to prevent hanging attachments, such as magnets and grapples, from swinging into the cab.

Caterpillar also offers limit switches for the same safety reason.

De Vries says Terex offers a “smart height and reach limiter” as an option, which works with angle sensors to detect the position of the boom and stick.

In an effort to lessen slips and falls, Caterpillar has patented the cab-to-ground hydraulic cab riser feature, which lowers the cab to the ground for entry and exit. Additionally, scrap handler steps feature antiskid metal perforated plates. “We don’t use sandpaper,” Lindenfelser says, adding, “Antiskid plates reduce any chance of slipping, especially in the upper platform.”

CUSTOMERS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT

Lindenfelser says many of Caterpillar’s updates and modifications have stemmed from customer requests. This year, Cat has added a standard full set of handrails, with additional handrails optional. “Some additional optional handrails are not needed for all customers, but some customers are very strict in their safety requirements,” he says.

Other safety-focused options on Cat material handlers include an impact-resistant windshield that can be factory installed; the falling object guard system (FOGS), a metal bar assembly that can be bolted to the cab; a standard rearview camera with cab monitor and optional stick and side cameras; and steel hydraulic tubing.

Cat material handlers also feature a standard joystick rather than a steering wheel. Without the steering wheel blocking visibility, operators have a clearer view, Lindenfelser says. Also, the scrap handler enters safe mode and shuts down if unused for a specific amount of time, he says.

De Vries says Terex also has equipped its latest scrap handlers with an auto-shut-off function. “That means that the engine will stop automatically after a certain period of time if there is no operation detected.”

Looking ahead, Angelone says Cat is working to reduce injuries by creating autonomous material handlers. He describes a small building with the worker inside, controlling the material handler with a joystick. “Doing this, you’re removing human injury because they’re away from the machine,” Angelone says. “The person is able to operate a machine from a safe distance and still be as productive.”

In the end, investing in scrap handler safety protects operators, dealers and manufacturers—a threefold win, Cat’s Angelone says.

“Safety sells machines, and companies are figuring it out,” he says. “With the cost of injuries and fatalities, safety features on a machine are worth it in the long run.”

The author is associate editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted via email at mworkman@gie.net.