Safety Tips: Equipment Safety

At our companies, safety is what guides us every step of the way, whether on a job site, plant or anywhere our work takes us. But what sets us apart is that we don’t forget about safety at the end of the workday; we take it home with us. There are many safety precautions we observe in our line of work that have relevance to daily life, and we’re sharing them here on our blog.

As part of CRH, our companies follow what we call the Life Saving Rules, which provide clear, specific safety requirements for all of our facilities and operations, and that direct our attention to areas of our work with the greatest potential for serious injury.

On our plants, sites, and other facilities, it’s essential to have site transport rules in place that address:

  • Vehicle-pedestrian segregation. We do everything we can to minimize vehicle-pedestrian overlap, including marked pedestrian walkways throughout our facilities, clear lighting and highly-visible signage and barriers, as well as risk assessments for employees, contractors and site visitors, and a site traffic plan visible to all traffic upon entry into our sites.
  • Edge protection for slope/benches. At our quarries, edge protection (created by piling material such as oversize rock as a barrier to stop a vehicle from crossing it) is required where there is a drop, water area, or any other hazard that would put drivers at risk if the vehicle left the roadway.
  • Driver training rules and assessment. All our drivers are trained in the Smith System, a series of interlocking techniques to prevent accidents by optimizing the way they drive and increasing awareness of what’s happening on the road. We also complete daily pre-trip inspections for company vehicles used both on and off-site. Each of our facilities has a mobile electronic device usage policy in place, and all drivers must wear seat belts both on and off-site. Learn more about our driver training.
  • Vehicle rules for speed limit and visual/audible warning systems.

Although we implement these LSRs in our daily operations, they are just as applicable off the job:

  • Even while walking in a parking lot or crowded city street, paying close attention to marked pedestrian areas will minimize risk and exposure to moving vehicles.
  • Every driver can benefit from implementing the Smith System for safe driving! It’s also incredibly important to do a quick walk-around of your vehicle and its surroundings before driving, and to drive with your seatbelt on and phone down at all times.