Offline. Sign-offs save on this phone.

Toolbox Talks

Skid steers: rollovers and raised arms

Vehicles and backing 5 min 29 CFR 1926.1000 · 29 CFR 1926.20 · 29 CFR 1926.602

Landscaping, Excavation, Concrete

Why it matters

Skid steers and compact track loaders are on almost every landscape job. They tip on slopes, throw operators who are not belted in, and crush people who reach or walk under raised lift arms. These are some of the most common deadly accidents with small equipment.

The talk

Only people the company has trained and okayed run the skid steer. Before you start, walk around it. Check tires or tracks, look for leaks, and make sure the cab, side screens, seat bar, and lap belt are all there and working. If the rollover cage or cab was ever taken off, it has to be put back with bolts as good as the original. Get in using the steps and grab handles, facing the machine. Put on the lap belt and lower the seat bar every time, even for a short move. The cage only protects you if you stay inside it. People who get thrown out in a tip-over are often crushed by the machine.

Most rollovers happen on slopes, at the edge of a hole or trench, or when carrying a load too high. Travel with the bucket or forks low, just high enough to clear the ground. On a slope, go straight up and down, not across. Keep the heavy end uphill. With a loaded bucket, that means drive forward up the hill and back down it. With an empty bucket, back up the hill and drive forward down it. Stay back from the edges of trenches, retaining walls, and soft fill. Do not make sharp turns at speed. Take the load the machine is rated for, not more. Pallets of block and sod are heavier than they look.

Never put any part of your body under raised lift arms or a raised bucket unless the lift arm support is set. Do not reach out of the cab to work a lever or adjust anything. When you get out, lower the attachment flat to the ground, set the parking brake, and shut off the engine. Keep other workers out of the swing and travel path, and look behind you before backing. These machines have big blind spots. Nobody rides in the bucket, on the arms, or on the side. If someone needs to talk to you, stop, lower the bucket, and let them come to the front where you can see them.

Key points

  1. Only trained, authorized people operate the skid steer.
  2. Wear the lap belt and lower the seat bar every time.
  3. Travel with the bucket low.
  4. Go straight up and down slopes, heavy end uphill.
  5. Stay back from trench edges, walls, and soft fill.
  6. Never go under raised arms unless the lift arm support is set.
  7. Lower the attachment, set the brake, and shut down before getting out.

Do this

  • Walk around the machine before starting.
  • Use steps and handles and face the machine to get in.
  • Check the load against the machine's rating.
  • Look behind you before backing.
  • Keep coworkers in front where you can see them.

Do not do this

  • Do not run the machine without the seat bar down.
  • Do not drive across a slope.
  • Do not carry the load high.
  • Do not reach out of the cab to work a control.
  • Do not let anyone ride in the bucket or on the arms.

Talk about it

  1. Where on this site are the slopes and edges that could tip our machine?
  2. What is the rated load on our skid steer, and how heavy is a pallet of what we are moving?
  3. How will ground workers get the operator's attention safely?

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

Training aid only. This talk is not legal advice. It does not replace your company's safety program, a competent person, the equipment maker's instructions, or the OSHA standard itself.

Sign as a group Crew sign-off

Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.

Send to the crew

The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.

Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.

Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.