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If temperatures are changing, be cautious of dark and wet patches when working or traveling over frozen
ground. S tay away f rom ditches, overhangs and al l other weak support surfaces. Halt wor k an d i nstall
support mats or blocking if work is required in an area of poor track support.
USE SOLID SUPPORT BLOCKING
Never rely on lift jacks or other inadequate supports when work is being done. Block tracks fore and aft to
prevent any movement.
OVERHANGS ARE DANGEROUS
Digging the workface under an overhang – the work area beneath a cliff or under the edge of a ditch – is
dangerous. K now t he hei ght and reac h l imits of t he e xcavator and pl an ahead while wor king. A void
creating dangerous situations by moving around the work-site while making excavations. Go on to another
digging area bef ore s teep ov erhangs are formed. W orking arou nd de ep pi ts or a long high walls or
trenching m ay requ ire s upport b locks, especially af ter heavy rai nfalls or during s pring thaws. Park t he
excavator away from overhangs before work shutdown.
SLOPING TERRAIN REQUIRES CAUTION
Dig evenly aroun d t he wor k-site whenever
possible, t rying t o g radually l evel any e xisting
slope. I f i t’s not possible t o l evel t he area or
avoid working on a slope, reducing the size and
cycling rate of the workload is recommended.
On s loping s urfaces, us e c aution whe n
positioning the excavator prior to starting a work
cycle. Stay alert for instability situations in order
to avoid g etting i nto t hem. F or e xample, y ou
should a lways a void w orking t he buc ket ov er
downhill c
rawler t
racks
when
parked
perpendicular t o the s lope. S low al l downhi ll
swing m ovements an d a void f ull e xtensions of
the b ucket in a downhi ll di rection. L ifting t he
bucket too high, too close to the machine, while
the e xcavator is turned u phill can also b e
hazardous.
HAOA210L
Figure 2
