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Sit in the seat and wear the belt

Sit in the seat and wear the belt

Vehicles and backing 5 min 29 CFR 1926.601 · 29 CFR 1926.602

Why it matters

Riders use a real seat, not the running board, the bucket, or the step. Equipment with a roll-over frame uses the seat belt. The belt works with that frame. Do not leave it off because you think you might need to jump. Nobody rides until they are seated and belted.

The talk

Riders use a real seat. Not the running board, not the bucket, and not the step. That is 1926.601. A running board looks like a place to stand for a short move across the yard. It is not a seat. A bucket is not a seat. A step is not a seat. If there is no seat for you, you do not ride. You walk, or you wait for a machine that has a seat. Do not hang on the side of a truck, a loader, or a lift while it moves. People come off when the machine stops short or drops a wheel in a rut.

Equipment with ROPS uses the seat belt. ROPS is the roll-over frame. 1926.602 is the rule. The belt holds you inside that frame if the machine tips. The belt only works if the door or the frame stays intact, so the protection is the frame and the belt together. Do not skip the belt because you want to be able to jump. The story people tell is that they will jump clear. What happens is the machine goes over, the person is thrown out, and the machine comes down on them. Buckle the belt before the machine moves.

Do not start moving until everyone is seated and belted. The operator looks. A rider who says they will buckle in a second is not belted. Wait. If a person will not wear the belt, that person does not ride. That includes a short move to the gate and a slow roll across a flat lot. A slow roll does not turn the running board into a seat, and it does not make the belt optional. If the belt is cut, missing, or will not latch, the machine stays parked for riders until it is fixed. Tell the foreman. Do not tie a knot in a torn belt and call it good.

Key points

  1. Riders use a real seat, not the running board, the bucket, or the step.
  2. That seat rule is in 1926.601.
  3. If there is no seat for you, you do not ride.
  4. Equipment with ROPS, the roll-over frame, uses the seat belt.
  5. That belt rule is in 1926.602.
  6. Do not skip the belt because you think you need to jump.
  7. Do not move until everyone is seated and belted.

Do this

  • Ride only in a real seat.
  • Buckle the belt on equipment with a roll-over frame.
  • Wait until every rider is seated and belted before you move.
  • Park the machine for riders if the belt will not latch.
  • Tell the foreman about a cut, missing, or broken belt.

Do not do this

  • Do not ride the running board, the bucket, or the step.
  • Do not hang on the side of a moving machine.
  • Do not skip the belt so you can jump.
  • Do not start moving while someone is still getting the belt on.
  • Do not knot a torn belt and call it fixed.

Talk about it

  1. Which machines here have ROPS, and are the belts latching?
  2. Where have we seen someone ride a step, a bucket, or a running board?
  3. What do we do if a belt is cut or will not latch before the next move?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

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